On  July  Uth,  1796,  Fort  Lernoult  at  Detroit  was 

Evacuated  by  the  British,  the  United  States 

took  possession,  and  the  American  Flag 

was  first  raised  over   Detroit, 


ON  £ 

—      U 
I-      - 


LU 


If-I 


r  ^ 


THE 


Centennial  Celebration 


OF   THI 


Evacuation  of  Detroit  by  the  British. 


July  li,  1796---July  il,  1896. 


Report  of  the  Proceedings,   with  the   Addresses  of 

Col.  H.  M.  Duffield,  Senator  J.  C  Burrows, 

AND  President  Jas.  B.  Angell. 


DETROIT. 

Printed  for  the  Committee. 

1896 


John  F.  Eby  &  Company,  Printers. 
6? -67  Congress  West. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

When  the  War  of  Independence  began  in  the  east  its 
effects  were  almost  immediately  felt  in  Detroit,  and  early 
in  1775  the  English  made  this  post  the  chief  military  depot 
In  the  west,  and  the  fatting-out  place  for  the  forays  to  be 
made  upon  the  settlements  in  Kentucky,  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania.  The  evident  intent  was  to  keep  the  colon- 
ists in  the  west  so  busy  defending  their  homes  that  they 
would  be  unable  to  help  their  brethren  in  the  east. 

With  this  object  in  view  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
goods  were  shipped  to  Detroit  and  distributed  to  the 
Indians  who  were  invited  here  and  came  by  thousands 
from  the  west  and  south.  On  their  arrival  they  were 
feasted  and  flattered  without  stint ;  clothing,  trinkets,  fire 
arms,  and  "red-handled  scalping  knives"  were  supplied  to 
them  in  enormous  quantities,  and  on  returning  from  their 
forays  they  often  brought  hundreds  of  scalps  and  prisoners. 

The  defeat  of  the  English  in  the  west  was  largely 
decided  by  the  capture  of  Gov.  Henry  Hamilton  of  Detroit, 
at  Vincennes,  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  on  March  sth, 
1779.  That  victory  and  American  successes  in  the  east, 
brought  about  the  treaties  of  1782  and  1783,  which  provided 
for  the  surrender  of  the  western  territory  by  the  English. 
The  pretext  of  unsettled  claims,  and  the  protests  of 
Montreal  fur  traders,  who  derived  immense  revenues  from 
this  region,  delayed  the  surrender. 


Meanwhile  the  Indians  continued  their  depredations, 
but  finally,  on  August  30th,  1794,  they  and  their  British 
allies  were  effectually  defeated  by  Major  General  Anth(»ny 
Wayne,  at  Fort  Miami,  and  a  way  was  opened  for  the 
conclusion  of  the  war. 

The  final  treaty  of  peace,  known  as  Jay's  treaty,  was 
made  November  19th,  1794  ;  it  provided  for  the  evacuation 
of  Detroit  and  other  western  posts  on  or  before  June  ist, 
1796.  Owing,  however,  to  various  obstacles  the  surrender 
did  not  take  place  until  July  nth,  1796.  On  that  day  at 
12  o'clock  noon,  the  English  flag  was  hauled  down  from 
the  flag  staff  of  Fort  Lernoult  at  Detroit,  and  the  same 
day  the  fort  was  taken  possession  of  by  Captain  Moses 
Porter,  with  a  detachment  of  sixty-five  men  from  General 
Wayne's  army.  Colonel  John  F.  Hamtramck  arriving  two 
days  later. 

The  surrender  of  Detroit  on  July  nth,  1796,  clearly 
marks  the  date  of  the  actual  ownership  by  the  United 
States  of  a  territory  larger  than  the  original  thirteeen 
states,  and  the  final  results  of  such  ownership  gave  us  not 
only  the  control  of  the  Great  Lakes,  but  the  Mississippi  as  j 
well,  and,  indeed,  of  all  the  territory  clear  to  the  Pacific  | 
coast. 


REV.   RUFUS  CLARK,   D.  I)., 


Kcctor  of  St.  Hiiurs  Cluiich.  Dctiuit. 


EVENTS  WHICH  LED  UP  TO  THE  CELEBRATION  OF  THE 
CENTENNIAL  OF  EVACUATION  DAY. 

At  the  banquet  of  the  Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  on  February  2 2d,  1896,  Rev. 
Rufus  W.  Clark  offered  the  following  resolutions  : 

"Whereas,  the  eleventh  day  of  July  will  mark  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  evacuation  by  the 
British  of  our  territory  and  the  raising  of  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  over  the  City  of  Detroit,  this  day  is  deserving  of 
more  than  passing  mention,  none  being  more  important 
to  us,  as  Americans  and  as  citizens  of  this  municipality. 
This  is  a  day  upon  which  we  may  well  commemorate  the 
achievements  of  our  fathers,  the  founders  of  this  republic, 
and  encourage  sentiments  of  love  and  devotion  to  our 
country.  It  is  a  day  that  should  be  seized  upon  especially 
by  members  of  this  society,  to  remind  a  rising  generation 
of  their  priceless  heritage  in  a  land  no  longer  dominated 
by  a  foreign  power, 

"  I.  Resolved,  That  the  day  shall  be  observed  by  the 
Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 
as  a  time  for  special  rejoicing  and  for  convening  the 
members  of  this  society. 

"  2.  Resolved,  As  the  day  belongs  not  only  to  us,  but 
to  all  patriotic  citizens,  that  a  committee  of  five  be 
appointed  by  the  chairman  of  this  meeting  to  consult 
with  the  city  officials,  the  military  authorities  at  Fort 
Wayne  and  patriotic  societies  of  Detroit  and  arrange,  if 
possible,  upon  a  plan  for  the  suitable  public -celebration  of 
the  day,  and  for  such  meetings  as  befit  so  rare  and 
important   an   occasion.  " 


The  resolutions  being  adopted,  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  moved 
that  Mr.  Fred.  T.  Sibley  be  made  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  celebration.  He  thought  no  one  more  suitable  than 
a  grandson  of  Solomon  Sibley,  the  first  mayor  of  Detroit, 
and  a  man  stalwart  in  all  that  made  for  the  good  of 
Detroit,  also  a  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  bench,  could 
be  found  to  head  the  committee.  Mr.  Thomas  Jerome 
seconded  the  nomination  in  a  patriotic  speech,  and 
ex-Senator    Palmer    supported    the    nomination. 

The  chairman,  Col.  Henry  M.  Duffield,  named  the 
celebration  committee,  as  follows :  Frederick  T.  Sibley, 
Rev.  Rufus  W.  Clark,  Thomas  Jerome,  J.  C.  Smith,  Jr., 
and  Oliver  H.  Phelps. 

A  conference  of  the  various  patriotic  societies,  pro- 
posed by  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, February  2  2d,  1896,  was  held  at  the  parlors  of  the 
Russell  House,  in  Detroit,  on  May  2  2d. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  was  held 
at  the  Loyal  Legion  rooms  May  25th,  at  which  Gen.  R.  A. 
Alger  presided.  There  were  present :  Caot.  Cornelius 
Gardener,  U.  S.  A.,  Don  M.  Dickinson,  E.  B.  Welton,  James 
Vernor,  Rev.  Rufus  W.  Clark,  Silas  Farmer,  Frank  J. 
Hecker,  and  Thomas  S.  Jerome.  Mr.  Jerome  was  elected 
secretary.  Rev.  R.  W.  Clark  stated  the  objects  of  the 
meeting. 

It  was  moved  and  carried  that  a  celebration  be  held 
on  July  iif.h. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  chair  to  name  the  various  committees,  reported  as 
follows : 


GROUP  OF  COMMITTEEMEN. 


1.  JAMES  T.  STERLING, 

2.  FRANK  J.  HECKER, 

3.  JOHN  N.  UAGLEY, 

4.  CHARLES  B.  HULL, 

5.  HARRY  F.  CHIPMAN. 


0.  REV.  RUFUS  W.  CLARK, 

7.  ELLIOTT  T.  SLOCUM, 

H.  GEN.   A.  L.  BRESLER. 

'».  SILAS  FARMER, 

10.  THOMAS  S.  JEROME, 


11.     DON  M,  DICKINSON. 


R.  A.  Alger,  General  Chairman. 

Executive  Committee. 
Henry  M.  Duffield.  Chairman.        O'horaas  S.  Jerome,  Sec'y'. 
E.  T  Slocum.  Frank  J.  Hecker. 

Together  with  the  Chairmen  of  the  various  Sub-Committees. 

Entertainment  Committee. 
W.  H.  Elliott,  Chairman.  A.  L.  Stephens. 

Hervey  C.  Parke.  R.  Phelps. 

M.  S.  Smith.  R.  H.  Fyfe. 

W.  C.  Maybury.  J.  B.  Moore. 

T.  D.  Buhl.  W.  A.  Butler,  Jr. 

D.  J.  Campau.  W.  V.  Moore. 

W.  J.  Chittenden.  M.  W.  O'Brien. 

Collins  B.  Hubbard. 

Programme  Committee. 

Rufus  W.  Clark,  Chairman.  John  N.  Bagley. 

James  Vernor.  Charles  Flowers. 

Henry  S.  Sibley.  E.  T,  Slocum. 

Tablet  Committee. 

Silas  Farmer,  Chairman.  Louis  A.  Arthur. 

A.  H.  Griffith. 

Parade  Committee. 

James  T.  Sterling,  Chairman.         August  Goebel. 
Cornelius  Gardener,  U.  S.  A.  Charles  Dupont. 

H.  B.  Lothrop.  Charles  Reid. 

John  Atkinson.  Gilbert  Wilkes. 

A.  L.  Bresler, 

Press  Committee. 

James  E.  Scripps,  Chairman.  W.  Livingstone.  Jr. 

A.  G.  Boynton.  P.  C.  Baker. 

J.  J.  Emery. 


Music  Committee. 

John  N.  Bagley,  Chairman.  F.  W.  Eddy. 

S.  T.  Douglas.  Ford  D.  C.  Hinchman. 

Finance  Committee. 

George  H.  Russel,  Chairman.  Marvin  Preston. 

George  N.  Brady.  Charles  Wright. 

A.  E.  F.  White.  Charles  Stinchfield. 

James  E.  Davis.  John  T.  Shaw. 

George  H.  Hopkins.         '  E.  B.  Welton. 

Charles  Dean.  R.  W.  Jacklin. 

Hamilton  Dey. 

Invitation  Committee. 
Don  M.  Dickinson,  Chairman.        Simon  Snyder,  U.  S,  A. 
Thomas  W.  Palmer.  Allan  Shelden. 

William  C.  McMillan. 

Carriage  Committee. 

Charles  B.  Hull,  Chairman.  S.  S.  Babcock. 

George  H.  Barbour.  F.  T.  Moran, 

Stratbearn  Hendrie. 

Badge  Committee. 

Frank  H.  Walker,  Chairman.         H.  M.  Campbell. 
W.  G.  Thompson.  Clarence  Carpenter. 

Harry  B.  Joy. 

Committee  in  Charge  of  Building. 
Harry  F.  Chipman,  Chairman.        R  G.  Butler. 
E  W.  Cottrell.  Peter  Diederich. 

F.  E.  Farnsworth.  Edwin  Henderson. 

Arthur  L.  Holmes. 


HON.  JOHN  T.   RICH, 
G<)\crn<>r  of  .Michi,i;;in. 


THE  GOVERNOR'S  PROCLAMATION. 

To  the  People  of  the  State  of  Michigan : 

For  many  years  after  the  cessation  of  active  hostil- 
ities between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  in 
the  RevoUitionary  War,  the  British  refused  to  carry  out 
the  terms  of  the  peace  and  surrender  to  the  Americans 
the  territory  they  had  won,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
nth  of  July,  1796,  at  Detroit,  that  the  British  flag-  finally 
ceased  to  float  over  any  part  of  the  country  whose  inde- 
pendence had  been  acknowledged  thirteen  years  before. 

It  is  proposed  to  recognize  the  centennial  of  the 
evacuation  of  Detroit  by  the  British,  by  a  celebration 
at  Detroit  on  the  nth  day  of  next  July.  The  importance 
of  this  event  to  the  nation,  and  especially  to  the  great 
middle  and  western  states,  demands  fitting  recognition 
from  the  executive  of  the  state,  and  every  citizen  who  can 
do  so  is  earnestly  urged  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the 
anniversary  of  this  memorable  event. 

The  definite  and  final  yielding  up  of  this  western 
region  gave  the  Federal  government  the  control  not  only 
of  the  great  lakes,  but  eventually  of  the  Mississippi  as 
well,  and  indeed,  in  its  finality,  of  all  our  western  territory 
clear  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

On  that  date  the  American  flag  with  its  fifteen  stars 
was  first  raised  over  our  soil,  and  its  raising  meant  the 
speedy  founding  of  the  states  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 


9 


With  the  raising  of  the  flag  on  July  ii,  1796,  British 
domination  over  any  part  of  our  country  ceased,  the 
"rebels"  then  living  here  breathed  freely,  and  the  way 
was  opened  for  all  the  blessings  we  now  enjoy  as  a  part  of 
the  United  States  of  America. 

In  historic  interest  and  importance  no  other  date 
in  connection  with  the  west  is  of  equal  value,  for  the 
surrender  of  Detroit  marked  the  close  of  the  War  of 
the  Revolution  and  the  final  accomplishment  of  the 
results  fought  for  by  our  fathers  during  so  many  years, 
and  the  date  of  that  event  should  excite  patriotic  loyalty 
in  the  breast  of  every  member  of  the  commonwealth  and 
be  treasured  in  the  memory  of  every  citizen. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  great  seal  of  the  State, 
at  the  capitol,  in  Lansing,  this  24th  day  of  June,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety- 
six,  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  one 
hundred  and  twentieth. 

JOHN   T.  RICH. 

« 

3y  the  Governor, 

WASHINGTON  GARDNER, 

Secretary  of  State. 


10 


THE  CELEBRATION. 

Saturday,  the  nth  of  July,  1896,  was  a  bright,  clear 
and  beautiful  day,  rather  warm,  but  not  excessively  so. 
The  patriotism  of  Detroit  was  fully  aroused,  and  the  city 
was  gay  with  flags  and  streamers  of  the  national  colors. 
The  City  Hall  had  been  decorated  at  a  cost  of  over  $500 
alone.  A  great  many  people  had  come  into  the  city  from 
the  interior  of  the  State,  and  the  streets  were  thronged 
throughout  the  day. 

Appropriately,  the  public  exercises  were  held  in  the 
unfinished  Federal  Building,  which  occupies  the  exact  site 
of  Fort  Lernoult,  surrendered  to  the  United  States  on 
July  nth,  1796.  The  interior  had  been  fitted  up  for  the 
occasion,  under  the  superintendence  of  Harry  F.  Chipman, 
chairman  of  the  committeee  on  building.  On  the  north 
side  a  spacious  platform  had  been  erected,  capable  of 
accommodating  some  700  persons.  In  front  of  the  plat- 
form, the  unfinished  brick  floor,  covered  with  sawdust,  was 
seated  with  about  3,000  chairs,  A  railed-in  passage  way 
extended  from  the  platform  steps  to  the  Fort  street 
entrance.  To  the  west  of  thi.',  admission  was  had  by 
tickets  distributed  by  the  members  of  the  various  com- 
mittees ;  to  the  east,  entrance  from  Shelby  street,  tickets 
were  not  required.  It  was  estimated  that  3,500  persons 
were  present  during  the  exercises. 

The  decorations  of  the  building  were  very  effective. 
From  the  open  girders  overhead  depended  festoons  of  red, 

II 


white  and  blue  bunting,  througli  which  llie  sun's  rays  pro- 
duced a  most  l)eautiful  effect.  Over  the  speakers'  stand 
hun^  the  American  Ma^^  and  a  hirge  portrait  of  Georjje 
Washinjifton.  The  roujjh  l)rick  walls  were  decorated  with 
the  flaxjs  and  arms  of  the  several  states  comprised  in 
the  old  northwestern  territory,  possession  of  which  was 
secured  by  the  United  States  by  the  evacuation  of  Detroit, 
the  event  celebrated.  The  iron  columns  were  covered 
with  colored  cloth  and  K'l'Jy  decorated.  At  the  left  of  the 
speakers'  stand  stood  a  section  of  the  flag  staff  of  the  old 
fort,  recover'jd  some  years  ngo  in  makinj;  an  excavation 
on  the  site,  and  now  in  possession  of  the  Detroit  Museum 
of  Art. 

On  the  platform  were  seated  the  following  organiza- 
tions : 

The  Officers  of  the  City  Government. 

The  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Rev  >lution. 

The  Daughters  of  the  War  of  1 812. 

The  Michigan  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  of  America. 

The  Loyal  Legion. 

Fairbanks  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Detroit  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

John  Brown  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 

Girls'  Auxiliary  of  Farquhar  Post  No.  162. 

Women's  Relief  Corps. 

U.  S.  Grant  Command,  Union  Veterans'  Union. 

Mexican  Veterans,  including  Col.  H.  S.  Dean,  Geo.  W. 
Walters,  S.  W.  Perry  and  Oliver  Geary. 

Among  other  occupants  of  the  platform  were:  His 
Excellency  Gov,  John  T.  Rich,  accompanied  by  his  staff — 
Gen.  W.  S,  Green,  Gen.  J.  H,  Kidd,  Gen.  Joseph  Walsh, 
Col.  W.  A.  Gavett,  Col.  Lou  Burt,  Lieut. -Col.  W.  W.  Cook 


la 


and  Licut.-Col.  S.  H.  Avery,  all  in  full  uniform;  Gen.  R. 
A.  Alifer,  Col.  Henry  M.  Duffield,  Hon.  J  C.  Burrows, 
President  James  B.  Angell  of  the  University  of  Michigan; 
Rt.  Rev.  (i.  Mott  Williams,  I).  I).,  Bishop  of  Martiuetle; 
Charles  Flowers,  City  Counsellor;  Rt.  Rev.  John  S.  Foley, 
D.  D.,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Detroit;  Hon.  Henry  M. 
Swan,  U.  wS.  District  Judjje;  Hon.  Claudius  B.  (Irant.  Hon. 
J.  B.  Moore  and  Hon.  Frank  A.  Hooker,  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Michij^an;  Judj^e  Wm.  L.  Carpenter 
and  Judj^e  Oeorge  S.  Hosmer  of  the  VV^ayne  Circuit  Court; 
State  Treasurer  J.  M.  Wilkinson;  Prof,  A.  C.  Mclvau^hlin 
of  the  State  University;  ex-Congressman  Wm.  C.  Maybury; 
Joseph  T.  Jacobs,  of  Ann  Arbor,  member  of  the  U.  vS. 
Indian  Commission;  Copt.  Hinds,  of  Stanton;  J,  (J.  A. 
Sessions,  of  Ann  Arbor:  Col.  J.  S.  Farrar,  of  Mt.  Clemens; 
George  Newell,  of  Flint;  Robert  Campbell,  of  Ann  Arbor; 
(ien.  Luther  vS.  Trowbridge,  Maj.  James  Vincent,  Dexter 
M.  Ferry,  Col.  Frank  J.  Hecker,  the  members  of  the 
executive  committee,  and  W.  R.  vShelby,  of  Grand  Rapids, 
a  great-grandson  of  Gov.  Shelby  of  Kentucky  after  whom 
Fort  Shelby  was  named,  Mr,  Shelby  had  with  him  a  spy- 
glass  captured  from  one  of  the  British  ships  at  the  battle 
of  Lake  Erie  by  Commodore  Perry. 

While  waiting  for  the  audience  to  arrive  and  become 
seated,  the  Metropolitan  Band  played  a  number  of 
patriotic    airs. 


THE  PUBLIC  EXERCISES. 

At  10:30  o'clock  the  chairman  of  the  clay,  Gen.  R.  A. 
Alger,  called  the  great  assemblage  to  order  and  read  the 
following  opening  address: 

Fellow  Citizens — We  gather  upon  this  historic  spot  to-day 
to  commemorate  the  last  act  of  our  heroic  forefathers  in 
the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

It  was  upon  these  grounds,  occupied  by  this  stately 
building,  that  old  Fort  Lernoult  was  situated ;  a  fort 
erected  by  the  British  army  to  resist  the  assaults  of  those 
patriots  who  were  battling  for  the  liberty  they  won — the 
liberty  we  enjoy  to-day. 

It  was  here,  one  hundred  years  ago  to-day,  that  the 
flag  of  the  enemy  was  hauled  down,  and  our  own  Stars  and 
Stripes  run  to  the  mast  head,  then  with  but  fifteen  stars  in 
its  azure  field — to-day,  forty-five ;  the  flag  that  was  never 
lowered  to  any  foe,  and  floats  over  the  richest  and  best 
nation  in  the  world. 

In  no  boastful  spirit  do  we  come,  nor  in  vain-glorious 
triumph  at  our  victory,  but  with  a  just  pride  in  the  valor 
of  our  ancestors,  and  thankfulness  to  Almighty  Providence 
that  the  ground  broken  by  the  sword  of  war  has  borne  to 
us  the  blessed  fruits  of  peace. 

The  history  of  the  world  is  marked  by  epochs  of  war, 
and  the  chief  glory  of  every  nation  is  the  valor  of  its 
defenders.  It  is  well  that  this  is  so,  for  in  our  peaceful 
pursuits,  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  the  cost  of  the  blessings 
we  enjoy,  and  not  until  the  drum  sounds  the  signal  to  arms, 
is  it  that  we  stop  to  consider  what  it  costs  to  build  or 
save  a  nation. 


14 


GEN.   R.   A.   ALG1-:K. 
tx-Govcrnor  of  .Michij^an. 


As  in  the  frequent  experience  of  individuals,  the  bit- 
terest enemies,  reconciled,  form  the  strongest  ties  of  friend- 
ship, so  with  nations — those  which  do  battle  with  each 
other,  when  peace  is  declared,  often  make  the  strongest 
allies. 

As  we  are  at  peace  with  the  mother  country  to-day 
and  look  upon  its  people  with  no  envy  as  they  live  under 
the  benign  rule  of  their  mother  queen,  so  may  we  hope 
that  war  shall  never  again  come  between  us.  We  are  too 
great  to  boast,  too  strong  to  fear  invasion.  We  covet  the 
possessions  of  no  other  nation,  nor  do  we  fear  for  the 
safety  of  our  own.  To  us  all  to-day  war  is  but  an  echo- 
ing memory,  and  not  an  expectation. 

Among  us  here  to-day  are  veterans  of  the  Mexican  War, 
and  many  of  that  grand  host  whose  courage  crushed  the 
standards  of  secession  and  wove  the  web  of  our  destiny 
into  eternal  unity. 

To  them  and  those  of  their  comrades  who  returned  not 
with  them,  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  sacrifice,  I  know  a 
grateful  people  will  ever  rise  up  to  give  the  meed  of  praise 
they  so  fairly  won. 

Detroit  welcomes  here  to-day,  many  distinguished 
guests.  It  presents  no  battlements  or  ramparts  to  the 
view,  as  it  needs  none  for  its  protection,  but  in  their  stead 
shows  you  busy  factories,  whose  belching  mouths,  night 
and  day,  blacken  the  sky  with  the  smoke  of  industry. 
These  are  the  truest  monuments  to  the  peace  whose  noble 
path  was  cut  by  war. 

Rt.  Rev.  G.  Mott  Williams,  D.  D.,  then  offered  prayer, 
as  follows : 


IS 


THE  PRAYER. 

O  God  of  our  fathers,  our  hope  and  strength,  we  bless 
thy  Holy  Name  for  the  faith  of  those  great  men  who  won 
our  independence  and  framed  the  constitutional  govern- 
ment of  these  United  States.  We  bless  thee  for  the  inher- 
itance of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  for  the  many 
shining  examples  of  patriotism  given  us  by  citizens  of  this 
land  in  peace  and  war. 

We  thank  thee  that  so  many  of  those  who  have  been 
welcomed  to  our  shores,  while  needing  an  asylum,  have 
rendered  the  State  so  good  an  account  for  her  charity,  and 
we  pray  thee  that  the  first  acquisition  of  those  who  come 
to  us  may  be  a  love  of  their  fostering  mother. 

We  thank  thee  for  boundaries  so  vast,  so  inclusive,  so 
rich  and  so  commanding,  for  the  great  gift  of  national  inde- 
pendence, and  because  thy  wise  providence  in  severing 
the  ties  which  bound  us  to  the  motherland,  left  us  still  in 
laws,  charac  ar  and  customs  the  best  part  of  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

We  bless  thee  that  the  transfer  of  government  which 
we  celebrate  to-day  was  made  in  peace  and  not  in  war,  a 
result  of  treaties,  not  of  blows,  of  reason,  not  of  force,  and 
we  especially  thank  thee  that  this  peaceful  transfer  of 
government  between  kindred  peoples  has  been  followed 
by  so  many  years  of  honorable  peace,  but  once  broken, 
and  now  for  four-score  years  unmarred. 

And  we  beseech  thee  that  the  present  peace  of  this 
frontier  may  continue  by  thy  favor,  and  by  the  virtue,  the 
self-control,  the  wisdom  and  brotherliness  of  these  peoples 
and  that  we  especially  may  walk  worthy  of  high  calling 
among  the  nations. 

i6 


;^^.-  K 


:'T    ff^'^,..i.DE^]C'^r 


/^-ffC\.rfAc  .c:p:moi*ism^0  ?-' 


iit*?(v^:.>'\i.. 


. .  :--r-/Vv  ^Y  ■■•^2  o'c^ccV'^'Koc''.  J';u^■''-v.■ 


THf  TABLET. 


We  confess,  O  God,  our  manifold  shortcomings  as  men, 
as  citizens  and  as  a  nation  ;  forgive  us,  but  forsake  us  not. 
•  Let  there  be  peace  and  truth  in  our  days,  pure  religion 
and  domestic  happiness.  Bless  the  President  and  every 
arm  of  government ;  sanctify  our  lives,  our  families,  our 
homes  and  our  schools;  make  us  love  our  country  truly 
and  honestly;  and  grant  the  course  of  the  whole  world 
may  be  so  peacefully  ordered  by  thy  government  that  thy 
church  may  joyfully  serve  thee  in  all  godly  quietness 
through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  according  to  whose  teach- 
ing we  are  bold  to  say  : 

Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name,  etc.     Amen  !  

The  Boylston  Club  then  led  in  the  singing  of  the 
hymn,  "  My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee,"  in  which  the  entire 
audience  heartily  joined. 

UNVEILING  OF  THE  MEMORL\L  TABLET. 

While  the  band  played  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner," 
the  chairman,  together  with  Mr.  Shelby,  representing  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  Mr.  Silas  Farmer, 
representing  the  committee,  proceeded  to  the  Fort  street 
entrance,  where  the  tablet  has  been  placed  by  a  special 
Act  of  Congress.  The  invited  guests,  and  the  presidents 
and  commanders  of  the  patriotic  societies  were  also  there 
assembled. 

In  their  presence  and  before  the  throng  outside  of  the 
building,  Gen.  Alger  withdrew  the  veiling  and  said  :  "  In 
behalf  of  the  heroes  who  gave  us  this  land  of  liberty,  and 
in  remembrance  of  them,  I  humbly  unveil  this  tablet." 

The  flag  was  then  raised  upon  the  Federal  Building 
and  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  then  fired  by  the 
United  States  Revenue  Cutter  "  Fessenden,"  at  anchor  in 
the  Detroit  River. 

»7 


When  all  had  returned  to  the  platform  the  chairman 
said  that  it  had  been  expected  that  Mayor  Hazen  S.  Pingree 
would  be  present  to  welcome  the  distinguished  j^uests, but 
in  his  absence,  Hon.  Charles  Flowers,  City  Counselor,  would 
perform  that  duty. 

THE  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME. 

BY  HON.  CHARLES  FLOWEFS. 

The  City  of  Detroit,  upon  this  centennial  day,  gives 
greeting-  and  welcome  to  the  men  and  women  whose  fore- 
fathers, by  reason  of  their  sublime  courage,  and  their 
fidelity  to  a  living  and  glowing  principle,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  their  foes  to  strike  their  flag,  and  bid  farewell  to 
so  fair  and  so  vast  an  empire. 

To  the  descendants  of  the  brave  men  who  lingered 
upon  the  shores  of  this  majestic  river,  the  City  of  Detroit 
also  gives  greeting  and  wekome.  With  them  we  have  no 
([uarrel.  The  hour  struck  in  the  fateful  history  of  the 
world  for  those  of  one  language,  one  religion  and  one 
blood,  to  stand  upon  the  broad  road  of  national  life,  where 
the  ways  parted.     The  day  of  separation  had  come. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  remember  those  days.  The  patriotic 
heart  has  not  grown  cold  The  genius  of  greed  has  not 
wholly  possessed  the  land.  Amid  the  sound  and  fury  and 
madness  of  partisan  strife,  amid  the  insane  thirst  and 
hunger  for  power  and  advantage,  the  attentive  ear  can 
still  catch,  as  coming  from  a  million  breasts,  the  breathings 
of  a  spirit,  responsive  to  the  agony  of  those  who  suffered 
with  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  responsive  to  the  ecstasy 
of  those  who  rejoiced  with  him  at  Yorktown. 

The  City  of  Detroit  gives  greeting  and  welcome  to 
you  all.    It  does  not  ask  your  nationality  or  your  faith.    It 

|8 


only  asks  if  you  are  true  to  the  cause  of  individual  liberty 
and  eciuality,  the  principles  represented  by  the  beautiful 
baniicr,  which  upon  this  golden  day  so  peacefully  and  so 
solemnly  floats  above  your  heads. 

Messrs.  Homer  Warren  and  Robert  Murray  then  sang 
"  The  Sword  of  Bunker  Hill."  They  alternated  in  singing 
the  verses,  and  both  were  cheered  most  heartily,  and  were 
compelled  to  repeat  the  last  verse. 

Gen.  Alger  said  he  would  introduce  a  brave  soldier 
well  known  throughout  the  state  to  make  the  historical 
address,  and  Col.  Dullfield  was  loudly  applauded  as  he 
came  to  the  speaking  stand.  He  was  listened  to  with 
close  and  noiseless  attention.     His  address  was  as  follows  : 


THE  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS. 

BY  COL.  HENRY  M.  DUFFIELD. 

The  scene  of  the  last  act  in  the  great  drama  of  the 
Revolutionary  War — its  final  triumph — was  laid  in  Detroit. 
One  hundred  years  ago  the  British  troops  evacuated  this 
post  and  with  them  departed  the  last  vestige  of  England's 
rule  from  the  northwest. 

To  understand  its  full  significance  a  brief  outline  of 
the  situation  and  the  events  which  preceded  it  is  necessary. 
■  Detroit  at  this  period  is  thus  described  by  Mc  Master  : 
"  Detroit  alone  was  worthy  to  be  called  a  town.  The 
place  was  founded  in  1783,  and,  except  in  population,  had 
never  taken  one  step  forward  since  the  first  hut  was  put 
up  on  the  straits.  The  inhabitants  were  believed  to 
number  three  thousand.  In  language  and  customs  they 
were  French.  In  religion  they  were  Roman  Catholics. 
In  knowledge  of  the  affairs  of  the  world  they  were 
Qxtremely  ignorant.     For  a  hundred  years  the  farms  of 

^9 


precisely  the  same  size  had  been  kept  in  the  same 
families,  and  cultivated  with  the  same  kind  of  implements 
in  the  same  way.  The  house  of  each  farmer  was  close  to 
the  road,  and  the  road  was  close  to  the  water's  edge. 
Near  each  house  was  an  orchard,  and  in  each  orchard  the 
same  kind  of  fruit  trees  were  to  be  seen.  Year  after  year 
the  same  crops  were  raised  in  the  same  succession  When 
a  patch  of  land  became  exhausted  it  was  suffered  to  lie 
fallow.  Of  the  value  of  manure  the  farmers  knew 
nothing,  and  wantonly  flung  the  yield  of  the  barnyard 
into  the  waters  of  the  straits.  To  go  to  church  regularly, 
to  perform  their  religious  duties  strictly,  to  fast,  to  confess, 
and  to  pay  their  tithes  to  the  priest  promptly,  was  with 
them  the  chief  duty  of  man.  The  priest  was  the  one 
being  on  earth  to  whom  they  looked  up  with  mingled 
love  and  awe.  He  was  their  spiritual  and  their  temporal 
guide.  He  healed  all  quarrels  and  adjusted  all  disputes. 
With  courts  and  judges,  lawyers  and  juries,  they  would 
have  nothing  to  do.  Indeed,  the  first  appearance  of  such 
among  them  was  the  occasion  of  an  outburst  of  indigna- 
tion which  was  with  difficulty  soothed.  Many  resolved 
to  dwell  no  longer  in  a  land  where  life  and  property  were 
at  the  disposal  of  godless  men,  gathered  their  goods  and 
went  over  the  border  to  the  Canadian  side.  The  town 
proper  was  made  up  of  the  fort,  the  battery,  and  a 
collection  of  ugly  houses  surrounded  by  a  high  stockade. 
The  streets  were  a  rod  wide,  and  the  inhabitants  chiefly 
engaged  in  the  fur  trade.  A  few  went  out  to  the  trapping 
grounds  themselves.  Others  sent  out  Pawnee  Indians 
whom   they  had  purchased   and  made  slaves. " 

From  Griswold  to  Cass  street,  and  Larned  street  to 
the  river  was  surrounded  by  a  stockade.  There  were 
four  gates  on   each    side   with   block  houses  over  each 

?9 


45v 


//    '     '-.jv 


Vi^-/  III      .•  >._v\'^     iP==T^ 


\\\      iiiiilil      i      ■  ■     V' 


3 


Z     = 

O     2. 

UJ 

f-     V 

O     ' 
u-    ::■ 

u.    2 
O    £ 

UJ     *i. 

>  '■' 
■J 

3 


on  the  east,  west  and  north  sides.  Kach  block  house  had 
four  six-pounders  and  there  were  also  two  batteries  of  six 
guns  eacli  facinjj;  the  river.  Back  of  the  stockade  was 
Kort  Lernoult,  which  had  been  erected  in  1778  by  the 
orders  of  Major  R.  H.  Lernoult.  It  was  located  between 
what  are  now  (iriswold  and  Wayne  streets,  and  extended 
from  Lafayette  street  south  of  Fort  street.  It  was  well 
designed  and  thoroughly  constructed.  Work  upon  it  was 
prosecuted  from  November,  1778,  without  intermission, 
till  after  the  following  March.  This  fort  was  no  part 
of  the  town,  but  had  its  entrance  toward  the  town  by 
a  passage  way  underneath  the  trees  with  a  drawbridge 
over  the  ditch.     The  citadel  on  what  is  now  the  corner 

• 

of  Jeflferson  avenue  and  Wayne  street,  was  connected  with 
the  fort  by  a  subterranean  passage  along  the  route  of 
which  was  the  powder  magazine.  On  each  side  of  the 
entrance  of  the  fort  was  an  iron  twenty- four-pounder, 
while  each  side  of  the  fort  was  defended  by  two  twenty- 
four-pounders  and  four  cannon  were  placed  at  each 
bastion.  The  flag  staff  was  in  the  southwest  angle  of  the 
fort  in  the  lot  where  the  Owen  residence  now  stands. 

The  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  to  Washington  in 
1 781,  followed  by  the  preliminary  treaty  of  peace  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  agreed  upon  at  Paris, 
November  30th,  1782,  theoretically  determined  the  bound- 
aries of  the  new  republic.  The  thirteen  British  colonies 
in  North  America,  which  had  thus  become  the  thirteen 
United  States  of  North  America,  represented  clear  and 
definite  ideas,  politically  and  socially,  but  the  boundaries 
of  the  territory  were  only  vaguely  determined.  The 
United  States  described  in  the  instructions  to  John  Adams 
in  1779,  was  quite  a  different  country  geographically  from 
the  same  United  States  whose  independence  was  acknowl- 

ai 


ed^ed  in  Paris  in  1/82.  Neither  England  nor  Spain 
regarded  the  treaty  of  Paris  as  finally  settling  the  destiny 
of  the  countr)'  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  mountains. 

Although  that  grand  prologue  to  the  constitution  and 
forerunner  of  national  emancipation,  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  proclaimed  eternal  freedom  for  the  northwest 
territory,  its  boundaries  were  indefinite,  and  it  had  not 
yet  been  surrendered  by  the  British.  While  in  the  treaty 
of  Paris  in  1782,  His  Britannic  Majesty  promised,  among 
other  things,  "  to  withdraw  all  his  armies,  garrisons  and 
fleets  from  said  United  States,  and  from  every  post,  place 
and  harbor  within  the  same,  with  all  convenient  speed," 
there  was  still  left  unsettled  a  question  of  territory  larger 
than  the  one  which  brought  on  the  French  and  Indian 
war  in  1754.  In  addition  to  this  indefiniteness  of 
boundary,  the  relation  between  the  new  government  and 
the  former  colonies,  now  matured  into  states,  was  novel 
and  peculiar,  and  their  respective  rights  over  this  territory 
not  yet  determined. 

In  the  beginning  the  government  of  the  Un' ted  States 
was  distinctly  federal  rather  than  national,  and  large 
portions  of  the  territory  of  the  northwest  were  within  the 
original  boundaries  of  the  respective  colonies  and  were 
claimed  to  have  passed  to  them  when  they  were  erected 
into  states.  At  the  same  time  France  was  provoked  by 
the  treaties  entered  into  by  the  United  States  with 
England  and  Spain,  and  looked  with  longing  eyes  upon 
these  vast  possessions  which  less  than  half  a  century 
before  had  been  wrested  from  her  by  Great  Britain.  Most 
of  the  settlers  in  the  territory  were  English  or  French. 
The  posts  were  the  depots  or  stations  of  the  increasingly 
lucrative  fur  trade,  so  desirable  in  the  minds  of  Europeans. 
These    considerations    and    the    very  natural    desire  of 

33 


England  to  interpose  between  her  possessions  in  America 
and  the  new  United  States  a  territory  of  neutral  ground 
fairly  in  the  hands  of  the  savages— constituting  a  "  buffer 
state  "  between  the  United  States  and  Canada — were  the 
real  reasons  for  the  unjustifiable  delay  in  carrying  out  the 
treaty,  and  with  all  convenient  speed  "  withdrawing  the 
British  armies,  garrisons  and  fleets  from  the  United 
States  and  every  post,  place  and  harbor  within  the  same." 
While  England  attempted  to  justify  this  delay  upon  the 
ground  that  the  United  States  had  on  their  part  violated 
their  promises  in  the  treaty,  these  claims  were  completely 
refuted  by  Jefiferson,  then  Secretary  of  State  in  1793,  in  his 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Hammond,  the  envoy  extraordi- 
nary of  Great  Britain.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
true  cause  of  the  delay,  the  result  was,  that  for  thirteen 
years  the  northwestern  posts  "  were  sharp  thorns  in  the 
sides  of  the  United  States."  Exhausting  as  had  been  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  to  the  young  nation,  it  was  com- 
pelled to  continue  an  harassing  Indian  war,  that  only 
ceased  with  the  brilliant  victory  of  General  Wayne  at  the 
battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers  in  1794. 

In  July,  1783,  the  request  of  Washington,  through 
Baron  Steuben,  for  a  transfer  of  possession  of  Detroit, 
Mackinac  and  Oswego,  and  the  minor  posts,  was  met  with 
an  insolent  refusal  on  the  part  of  General  Haldimcm,  the 
British  commander  in  Canada. 

In  the  following  year  General  William  Hull  was  sent, 
with  the  approval  of  Congress,  to  induce  Haldiman  to  give 
up  the  post,  but  he  met  with  a  like  refusal. 

In  1786,  President  Adams,  then  minister  to  England, 
informed  Congress  that  he  had  made  a  demand  for  the 
western  posts,  and  had  been  refused  on  the  stale  pretense, 
so  conclusively  answered  by  Jefferson,  that  many  of  the 

23 


states  had  violated  the  treaty  in  rejijard  to  payment  of 
British  debts. 

Matters  were  further  complicated  by  the  active  etTorts 
of  Dr.  John  Connolly,  a  Virginian  tory,  to  induce  the 
Kentucky  settlers  to  take  sides  with  the  li^nglish,  with  the 
purpose  of  wrestinjj  Louisiana  from  Spain,  and  securing; 
the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1787  and  1788, 
he  was  in  Detroit  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time.  The 
English  settlers  urged  the  retention  of  Detroit,  and  in 
June,  1787,  the  garrison  was  re-enforced  by  a  full  regiment 
and  two  companies,  making  a  force  of  more  than  two  regi- 
ments. In  pursuance  of  the  plan  to  hold  the  post,  Lord 
Dorchester  personally  visited  Detroit  in  1788,  and,  under 
his  directions,  the  town  was  doubly  picketed,  and  other 
defensive  works  erected.  In  1790,  John  Knox,  then  United 
States  Secretary-of-War,  wrote  to  Governor  vSt.  Clair,  that 
it  was  reported  that  Benedict  Arnold  was  in  Detroit  about 
the  first  of  June,  and  that  he  had  reviewed  the  militia 
there.  In  the  same  year  President  Washington,  who,  with 
clear  foresight,  very  soon  after  the  treaty  of  1782,  had 
prophesied  "  that  England  would  retain  the  posts  as  long 
as  they  could  be  held  under  any  pretense  whatever," 
communicated  to  his  cabinet  his  apprehensions  that  Lord 
Dorchester  contemplated  sending  an  expedition  from 
Detroit  against  Louisiana.  Meantime  the  Indians  had 
grown  increasingly  hostile  under  the  encouragement  of 
the  British. 

In  1786  a  grand  confederate  council  of  the  Indians 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  held  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River,  it  was  attended  by  the  Six  ^ations,  the 
Hurons,  Ottawas,  Maumees,  Shawnees,  Chippewas, 
Cherokees,  Delawares,  Pottawattamies,  and  the  confeder- 
ates of  the  Wabash.     The  question  of  difference  was  one 

24 


of  boundary.  The  tndians  insisted  that  the  Americans 
should  not  cross  the  Ohio  River,  l)Ut  there  was  no  intima- 
tion of  war,  provided  the  United  States  did  not  encroach 
on  the  Indian  land.  While  there  was  .>  treaty  between 
(^reat  Britain  and  the  United  States  concerning  this  terri- 
tory, the  Indians  were  not  included  in  it,  and  the  savages 
complained  that  the  United  States  would  "kindle  the 
council  fires  wherever  they  thought  proper  without  C(.>n- 
sulting  the  Indians."  Clo.sely  following  this  council,  the 
Hurons  of  Detroit  sent  a  message,  sealed  with  strings  of 
wampum,  to  the  Five  NaMons,  complaining  of  the  delay 
of  the  Americans  in  answering  their  message,  and  desiring 
the  Five  Nations  "  to  be  strong  and  punctual  of  your 
promises  to  be  with  us  early  and  in  time."  As  an  evidence 
of  the  intimate  relations  between  the  British  and  the 
Indians,  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  this  council  was 
forwarded  to  Lord  Dorchester, 

In  1 79 1  Canada  was  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower 
province,  the  former  being  placed  under  the  administra- 
tion of  Col.  T.  S.  Simcoe,  who  established  his  headquarters 
as  governor  of  the  newly  organized  territory  at  Niagara. 
He,  with  the  British  agents.  Col.  McKee,  Capt.  Elliott  and 
the  notorious  Simon  Girty,  threw  all  their  influence 
against  the  United  States,  and  it  is  affirmed  that  Lord 
Dorchester  assisted  their  efforts  by  a  speech  to  the  Seven 
Nations  of  Canada,  as  well  as  all  the  other  Indians  at  the 
grand  council.  Governor  Simcoe  proceeded  to  Detroit, 
and  thence,  with  a  strong  detachment,  to  the  foot  of  the 
Miami  Rapids,  where  he  erected  a  fortress.  Undoubtedly 
his  fort  was  built  primarily  to  defend  Detroit.  It  was,  in 
fact,  the  re-occupation  of  a  position  held  by  the  British 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  Revolution,  the  evacuation  of 
which  had  been  bad  policy.  » 


•  2 


5 


Diiriny^  the  whole  period,  Detroit  was  the  tlieiitrc  of 
its  most  interesting  councils.  It  was  represented  by  the 
half-breeds  of  the  place  to  the  savages  around  the  post, 
and  also  to  remote  tribes,  that  (iovernor  Simcoe  was  to 
march  to  their  aid  with  fifteen  hundred  men;  that  he  was 
giving  clothing  and  all  necessary  supplies;  that  all  the 
speeches  sent  to  them  were  red  as  blood;  the  wampum 
and  the  feathers,  the  war  pipes  and  the  hatchets,  and  even 
the  tobacco  was  painted  red.  At  one  time  Alexander 
McKenzie,  an  agent  of  the  British  government,  was 
employed  to  paint  himself  as  an  Indian,  and  he  convened 
a  grand  council  at  Detroit,  exhibiting  himself  with  pipes 
and  wampum  as  the  credentials  of  his  authority. 

Elliott  and  the  other  British  residents  addressed  the 
council,  stating  that  McKenzie  was  an  ambassador  who 
had  returned  from  the  remote  tribes  of  the  upper  lakes 
and  that  their  bands  were  armed  with  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping  knife  and  were  ready  to  fall  upon  tlie  Americans, 
and  that  the  savages  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
were  prepared  to  descend  and  attack  the  settlements  of 
Virginia  and  Ohio.  McKenzie  spoke  the  Indian  language 
with  fluency  and  preserved  his  character  to  the  life.  He 
was  aided  in  his  deception  by  some  of  the  Wyandottes  and 
Shawnees,  who  were  acquainted  with  his  secret  and  in  the 
conspiracy.  These  means  brought  into  the  field  against 
the  United  States,  the  Ottawas,  the  Miamis,  the  Pottawat- 
tamies,  the  Delawares,  the  Shawnees,  the  Chippewas,  and 
the  Seven  Nations  of  Canada.  Many  of  the  French 
traders  at  Detroit  and  in  Michigan,  induced  by  the  fear 
that  if  they  did  not  join  the  Indian  cause  they  would  not 
be  permitted  to  trade  with  the  Indians  in  their  own 
territory,  took  up  arms  against  the  United  States.  Thus 
the  United  States  was  met   on   the  one   hand   with   the 

26 


refusal  of  Great  Britain  to  yield  up  the  posts,  and  on  the 
other  with  the  orjjanized  and  armed  opposition  of  the 
savages  to  any  interferences  with  the  territory  which  they 
claimed  as  their  own. 

Peaceable  negotiations  with  the  Indians  who  had 
gradually  strengthened  into  a  confederation  of  tribes 
throughout  the  western  forests  was  attempted  but  without 
success.  General  Harmar  with  a  force  of  fourteen 
hundred  men  was  then  sent  to  subdue  the  savages.  He 
succeeded  in  destroying  and  laying  waste  many  of  their 
villages  and  fields,  but  his  advance  was  checked  near 
Chillicothe,  Ohio,  where  he  was  defeated  in  October,  1790, 
with  great  slaughter.  After  his  defeat  the  Indians  daily 
paraded  the  streets  of  Detroit,  exhibiting  in  triumph  the 
scalps  of  American  soldier.s. 

In  1792  Governor  St.  Clair  succeeded  in  command  and 
marched  into  the  wilderness  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men.  He  was  surprised  near  the  Miami  villages  by  the 
Indians  under  the  command  of  Little  Turtle,  and  notwith- 
standing his  great  personal  gallantry  in  his  efforts  to  rally 
his  retreating  forces,  he  was  forced  to  retreat  with  very 
heavy  loss. 

These  successive  repulses  aroused  Congress  to  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  General  Anthony 
Wayne  was  put  in  command  of  the  forces.  His  fame  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  had  preceded  him,  and  the  Indians 
feared  him.  They  credited  him  not  only  with  bravery  to 
rashness  but  with  much  stratagem  and  cunning,  and 
named  him  the  Black  Snake.  He  proceeded  with  charac- 
teristic energy.  In  the  latter  part  of  1793,  he  erected  a 
stockade  on  the  site  of  St.  Clair's  defeat,  which  he  called 
Fort  Recovery,  and  having  fully  matured  his  plans,  on  the 
4th  of  July,  1794  followed  the  savages  into  the  depths  of 

27 


the  wilderness.  Cautiously  moving  down  the  left  bank  of 
the  Maumee,  he  reached  the  rapids  about  the  19th  of 
August,  and  erected  a  small  work  called  Fort  Deposit, 
about  four  miles  above  the  British  post.  He  found  the 
Indians  entrenched  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  English 
fort,  which  had  been  fortified  not  long  before  by  a  force 
sent  from  Detroit.  General  Wayne,  therefore,  prepared 
himself  to  act  defensively  against  both  civilized  and 
savage  foe.  His  army  amounted  to  about  three  thousand 
men.  Opposed  to  him  was  the  Indian  league  which 
extended  throughout  the  whole  northwestern  frontier. 

On  the  30th  August,  1794,  he  attacked  the  savages. 

His  plan  of  battle  was  to  send  forward  a  battalion 
of  mounted  riflemen  with  instructions  if  attacked,  to 
retreat  in  apparent  confusion  in  order  to  entice  the 
savages  into  a  less  advantageous  position,  and  upon  con- 
certed signals  to  turn  with  his  infantry,  which  included 
the  renowned  Wayne  legion,  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy. 
But  the  day  was  rainy,  the  signals  from  the  drums  could 
not  be  distinctly  heard  and  the  plan  was  not  wholly 
executed.  His  victory,  however,  was  complete.  After 
a  stubborn  resistance,  the  savages  were  defeated  and  fled 
to  the  very  walls  of  Fort  Miami.  The  battle  is  known 
in  history  as  the  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers.  After  the 
Indians  had  retreated,  General  Wayne  devastated  their 
fields  and  burned  their  buildings,  among  them  the  xiouse 
of  Col.  McKee.  While  he  had  defeated  the  Indians  he 
did  not  know  how  soon  he  must  defend  himself  against 
an  attack  by  the  British  from  the  fort,  but  in  the  crisis  the 
doughty  warrior  never  flinched.  He  proudly  paraded  his 
army  in  front  of  the  fort  and  although  he  saw  the  British 
gunners  standing  at  their  guns  with  lighted  matches 
in  their    hands,  eagerly  awaiting  the  order  to  fire,  he 

28 


rode  forward  with  his  staff  to  the  very  battlements  and 
reconnoitered  the  position  with  the  utmost  deliberation. 
No  attack  was  made  upon  him  and  he  advanced  by  easy 
marches  toward  Fort  Defiance,  destroying  the  Indian 
cornfields  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Maumee,  then 
proceeded  up  the  Maumee  River  and  built  Fort  Wayne. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  in  this  battle  a  detachment  of 
militia  from  Detroit  were  associated  and  fought  with 
the  Indians,  General  Wayne  in  his  official  report  describes 
the  enemy  "a  combined  force  of  the  hostile  Indians  and  a 
considerable  number  of  the  volunteers  and  militia  of 
Detroit. "  A  Mr.  Smith,  clerk  of  the  court  at  Detroit, 
was  killed  in  the  action  at  the  head  of  a  company  which 
fought  against  the  Americans. 

It  was  estimated  that  thirteen  hundred  Indians  Hed  to 
Detroit  for  British  protection  after  the  battle.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  Governor  Simcoe  approved  of  the  pro- 
vision of  an  extra  surgeon  and  another  hospital  and  made 
extensive  preparations  to  strengthen  the  post  at  Detroit. 
Fort  Lernoult  was  newly  fortified,  a  new  block  house 
erected,  and  six  boats  ordered  to  be  built  at  Chatham. 
Simcoe  still  encouraged  the  Indians.  He  told  them  that 
Ohio  was  their  right  and  title  and  that  he  had  given 
orders  to  the  commandant  at  Fort  Miami  to  fire  on 
the  Americans  when  they  made  their  appearance  again, 
but  the  Indians  had  been  severely  punished  by  General 
Wayne  and  were  distrustful  of  the  ability  of  the  English 
to  protect  them.  The  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers  ended 
all  the  Indian  hostilities  for  the  time  being  and  was 
followed  in  the  next  year  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville. 
Before  this,  and  almost  contemporaneous  with  Wayne's 
victory.  Jay's  admirable  diplomacy  had  accomplished  the 

- 29 


treaty  of  1794  which  bears  his  name,  under  which 
Enjfhind  bound  herself  to  deliver  up  the  northwestern 
posts. 

The  treaty  called  for  the  surrender  of  the  post  by  the 
British  on  June  ist,  1796,  but  the  order  to  evacuate  was  not 
given  until  June  2d.  It  was  dated  at  Quebec  and  signed 
by  George  Beckwith,  adjutant  general. 

On  the  7th  day  of  Jul}',  1796,  General  Hamtramck  sent 
on  to  Detroit  two  small  vessels  from  Fort  Miami  with 
a  detachment  of  artillery  and  infantry  consisting  of  sixty- 
five  men,  together  with  a  number  of  cannon  with  ammuni- 
tion, etc.,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Moses  Porter. 
Upon  his  arrival  on  the  nth  of  July,  the  British  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Richard  England,  evacuated 
the  town.  The  Union  Jack  was  hauled  down.  Old  Glory 
floated  on  the  breeze,  and  Detro't  was  free. 

Under  the  benign  influence  of  the  constitution  and 
the  incomparable  privileges  of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  the 
little  post  of  3,000  souls  has  grown  in  a  single  century  to  a 
superb  and  peerless  city,  and  the  wilderness  of  the  north- 
west is  jeweled  with  the  happy  homes  of  millions  of 
freemen. 


30 


THE  ORATION. 

BY  HON.  JULIUS  C,  BUFROWS. 

Fellow  Citizens — That  patriotic  impulse  whicli  prompts 
tlie  people  to  search  out,  preserve,  dedicate,  and  fittinj^ly 
mark,  with  tablet  or  monument,  tlie  places  of  historic 
interest  alonj^  the  highway  of  a  nation's  course,  made 
memorable  by  the  hap])ening  of  some  important  event  in 
the  history  of  the  country,  is  a  spirit  deservinj;  the  highest 
commendation.  It  is  prompted  by  and  serves  a  double 
purpose.  It  not  only  pays  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  the  actors  in  such  events,  but  it  serves,  for*all  times,  as 
an  inspiration  to  the  passing  generations.  We  may  read, 
unmov^ed,  the  story  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  or  the  history 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  but  we  cannot  stand 
on  Plymouth  Rock,  or  within  the  shadow  of  Independence 
Hall,  without  feeling  a  cpiicker  heart-throb,  and  being 
imbued  with  something  of  that  spirit  of  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  which  inspired  the  men 
and  women  who  made  these  places  immortal.  I  regard, 
therefore,  every  step  taken  toward  the  preservation  of 
these  landmarks  of  history  as  most  auspicious  omens. 

And  here  I  pause  to  say  that  public  acknowledgment 
ought  to  be  made  to  those  patriotic  orders,  in  the  United 
States,  engaged  to-day  in  the  laudable  undertaking  of  res- 
cuing from  oblivion  and  preserving  from  desecration, 
places  made  historic  by  the  events  which  there  transpired. 
They  are  not  only  writing  history,  but  they  are  doing  that 
which  will  exert  a  silent,  yet  potent,  influence  on  all  the 
generations  to  come.  In  this  spirit,  and  with  this  purpose, 
we  mark  to-day  a  spot  of  historic  interest,  not  only  to  the 
state,  but  to  the  nation.     In  recognition  of  the  importance 

3' 


of  the  event,  tlie  C()nj>ress  of  the  United  States  co-oper- 
ates in  the  desij^i  iH'»ijr  and  preserving  of  the  place  which 
will  be  forever  memorable  in  the  annals  of  our  country. 

Here  it  was,  a  hundred  years  ago,  that  the  British  flag 
gave  way  to  the  banner  of  the  republic,  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  unfurled  in  token  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
United  States.  I  have  neither  the  time,  nor  is  this  the  occa- 
sion, to  rehearse  the  story  of  the  struggle  of  the  colonies 
for  national  independence.  It  is  sufficient  for  my  purpose 
to-day  to  say  that  the  termination  of  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution found  the  British  government  in  possession  of  the 
military  posts  on  the  western  frontiers,  among  the  most 
important  of  which  was  that  at  Detroit,  which  she  had  occu- 
pied since  the  French  relinquished  their  claim  to  the  terri- 
tory in  1760.  The  seat  of  war  for  national  independence 
being  chiefly  confined  within  the  limits  of  the  colonies  par- 
ticipating in  the  struggle,  England  was  permitted  to  hold 
these  outlying  posts  practically  undisturbed,  which  .she 
used  as  recruiting  stations  for  her  Indian  allies,  whom 
she  invited  into  her  service,  and  whom  she  subsequently 
employed  to  harass  the  settlers  on  the  frontier,  and  impede, 
if  not  prevent,  the  settlement  of  the  northwest  territory. 

These  points  were  too  remote,  and  the  forces  holding 
them  too  insignificant  to  engage  the  attention  of  the 
Continental  army.  By  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  peace, 
however,  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States, 
concluded  in  1783,  it  was  expressly  stipulated  and  agreed 
that  "His  Britannic  Majesty  shall  with  all  convenient 
speed,  and  without  causing  any  destruction  of  property,  or 
carrying  away  any  negroes  or  other  property  of  the 
American  inhabitants,  withdraw  all  his  armies,  garrisons 
and  fleets  from  the  United  States,  and  from  every  part, 
place  and  harbor  within  the  same." 

32 


A  strict  compliance  with  the  terms  of  this  treaty, 
imposed  upon  Great  Britain  the  obligation  to  withdraw 
her  military  forces  from  every  portion  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States  and  abandon  all  assumption  of  power 
over  any  part  of  their  domain. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history,  however,  that  the  British 
i^ovcrnnient,  while  conforming  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
within  the  limits  of  the  states,  persisted  for  a  period  of 
nearly  thirteen  years  thereafter  in  retaining  possession  of 
the  posts  on  the  frontier,  including  that  of  Detroit,  and  in 
exercising  authority  and  asserting  dominion  over  an 
extensive  territory  in  the  northwest. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  and  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  existence  of  the  government  of  the  confed- 
oration,  and  prolonged  under  the  national  constitution  of 
1787,  even  until  near  the  close  of  Washington's  second 
admmistration  as  President  of  the  United  States,  the 
British  flag  continued  to  float  over  a  British  garrison 
quartered  within  the  limits  of  this  city.  To  us  of  to-day, 
removed  by  more  than  a  century  of  time  from  these 
startling  events,  it  seems  incredible  that  the  British 
government  should  have  been  permitted  to  have  asserted 
and  maintained  even  a  show  of  authority  over  any  portion 
of  the  territory  of  the  United  States.  Circumstances, 
however,  contributed  to  this  assumption  of  power,  and 
rendered  its  exercise  comparatively  safe.  The  country 
had  just  emerged  from  a  protracted  and  exhaustive 
struggle  for  independence  and  found  itself  v/ith  a  bank- 
lupt  treasury  and  a  ruined  credit.  The  government  of  the 
confederation  setup  in  1781,  and  continued  until  1789,  was 
too  feeble  to  command  confidence  at  home  or  respect 
abroad,  and  was  powerless  to  assert  itself  even  within  the 
limits  of  the  confederated  states. 


33 


It  has  been  well  suid,  "  The  Continental  Conj,'ress, 
under  the  articles  of  confederation,  may  n)akc  and 
conclude  treaties,  but  can  only  recommend  the  observance 
of  them.  They  may  appoint  ambassadors,  but  they  can- 
not defri.y  even  the  expenses  of  their  table.  They  may 
borrow  money  in  their  own  name  on  the  faith  of  the  union, 
but  they  cannot  pay  a  dollar.  They  may  coin  money,  but 
they  cannot  import  an  ounce  of  bullion.  They  may  make 
war  and  determine  the  number  of  troops  necessary  to 
carry  it  on,  but  they  are  powerless  to  raise  a  single  soldier. 
In  short,  they  may  declare  everything,  but  they  can  do 
nothing." 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  government  set  up 
during  the  struggle  for  independence,  and  i)ermitted  to 
continue  until  the  4th  of  March,  1789.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefors,  that  (ireat  Britain,  in  the  continued  occupancy 
of  these  western  posts,  after  the  treaty  of  lyH,^,  should  be 
wholly  indifferent  to  the  wishes  or  existence  of  a  govern- 
ment rapidly  falling  into  decay,  and.shotild  be  actuated  in 
her  course  solely  by  considerations  of  personal  interest. 

What  these  considerations  were  which  prompted  the 
retention  of  these  posts,  history  fails  fully  to  disclose;  but 
that  they  were  inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  United 
States  does  not  admit  of  question.  It  is  not  improbable 
that  considerations  of  trade,  to  the  promotion  of  which 
(ireat  Britain  is  always  keenly  alive,  was  the  mainspring 
of  her  action,  and  it  is  barely  possible  she  may  have 
indulged  the  hope,  if  not  the  expectation,  that  the  experi- 
ment of  free  government  in  the  new  world,  as  exemplified 
in  the  confederation,  was  doomed  to  a  speedy  and 
disastrous  issue,  in  which  event,  by  the  retention  of  her 
foothold  on  the  western  frontier,  she  would  be  in  a 
position  to  regain  her  power  and  reassert  her  sovereignty. 

-    u 


Whatever  may  be  the  truth  of  tlie  matter,  either 
of  these  considerations  wouhl  have  been  sufficient  to 
influence  her  jiulj^inent  and  determine  her  course  ;  but  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  the  importance  of  her  trade 
with  the  northwest,  which  in  1785,  in  furs  ahjne,  is  said  to 
have  reached  the  magnitude  of  one  hundred  and  eij^hty 
thousand  pounds  annually,  coupled  with  the  advantaj^es 
of  an  enlarged  market  for  British  goods,  to  which  con- 
sideration she  is  never  indifferent,  was  the  primary,  if  not 
the  controlling  motive  for  the  retention  of  these  frontier 
posts. 

The  question  of  promoting  British  trade  and  British 
interest  would  seem  to  have  been  uppermost  in  the  minds 
of  the  representatives  of  the  English  government,  when 
every  application  for  permission  to  build  or  navigate 
private  vessels  on  the  lakes  was  refused,  and  the  recom- 
mendations made  to  the  home  government  as  late  as  1785, 
"That  a  sufficient  number  of  the  queen's  ships  be  kept 
upon  the  lakes  to  do  the  carrying  trade  and  that  all 
other  crafts   whatever   be   prohibited. " 

But  whatever  the  motive,  whether  trade  or  territorial 
retention  or  acquisition,  the  fact  remains  that  when 
shortly  after  the  treaty  of  peace  a  demand  was  made  for 
the  surrender  of  this  and  other  points  in  the  northwest, 
the  request  was  flatly  refused  and  the  occupancy  con- 
tinued. This  could  be  done  with  impunity,  for  there  was 
not  sufficient  vitality  remaining  in  the  old  government  of 
the  confederation  to  effectively  assert  the  rights  of  the 
people,  or  enforce  the  mandates  of  the  government. 
Fortunately  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States, 
doubly  fortunate  for  the  cause  of  human  liberty  and  free 
government,  the  rotten  fabric  of  confederation  speedily 
gave  way  to  the  substitution  and  enduring.'  structure  of 

35 


1787,  under  and  by  virtue  of  which  a  national  government 
was  inaugurnted,  possessed  of  ample  power,  not  only  to 
maintain  its  own  existence,  but  to  enforce  obedience  to  its 
rightful  demands.  Yet  even  then  British  occupancy  con- 
tinued. It  seems  incredible  that  for  more  than  seven  years 
after  the  establishment  of  the  national  government,  and 
the  inauguration  of  Washington  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  British  flag  continued  to  float  above 
the  posts  of  the  western  frontier. 

When  we  consider,  however,  the  difficulties  attending 
the  inauguration  of  a  new  government,  the  exhausted 
resources  of  the  people  just  emerging  from  a  protracted 
war,  perplexed  by  a  burdensome  debt,  a  doubtful  credit, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  authorities  were  slow  to  take 
any  step  which  might  provoke  a  renewal  of  hostilities  and 
involve  the  new  government  in  the  wastes  and  uncertain- 
ties of  war.  Time  and  diplomacy  might  be  relied  upon  to 
accomplish  the  desired  end.  The  continued  occupancy, 
however,  by  the  British,  of  these  strongholds  on  the 
western  frontier,  was  not  only  a  flagrant  usurpation  of 
authority,  but  was  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  animosity, 
which  made  their  retention  peculiarly  exasperating  and 
offensive. 

Not  content  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  with 
invoking  the  aid  of  her  savage  allies,  now,  when  the  war 
was  concluded  and  peace  declared.  Great  Britain  sought 
by  every  means  at  her  command  to  create,  foster  and 
perpetuate  a  spirit  of  hostility  among  the  Indians  of  the 
northwest  towards  the  hardy  frontiersmen  pushing  their 
settlements  across  the  Ohio.  To  this  end  they  encour- 
aged the  Indians  to  insist  upon  the  Ohio  River  as  the 
southern  boundary  of  their  possessions,  to  decline  to  enter 
into  any  treaty  with  the  United   States  touching   thes^ 

j4 


lands,  an  d  were  made  to  believe  that  the  English  govern- 
ment in  retaining  the  posts,  was  actuated  only  by  a  desire 
U)  protect  the  Indians  in  the  rightful  possession  of  their 
territory.  It  was  an  English  Indian  superintendent, 
lohnson,  who  said  to  the  Indians,  "It  is  for  your  sakes, 
chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  that  we  hold  these  forts. " 

Lord  Dorchester,  speaking  through  Capt.  Matthews, 
whom  he  sent  to  command  at  Detroit  in  1 786,  after  p--  -->:  ,- 
ing  regret  that  the  Indians  had  consented  to  pfi  .^^  che 
Americans  to  construct  a  road  to  Niagara,  said  to  them  : 
"  In  the  future,  His  Lordship  wishes  you  to  act  as  is  best 
for  your  interests.  He  cannot  begin  a  war  with  the 
Americans  because  some  of  their  people  encroach  and 
make  depredations  upon  parts  of  the  Indian  country  ;  but 
they  must  see  it  is  His  Lordship's  intention  to  defend  the 
posts,  and  that  while  they  are  preserved,  the  Indians  must 
feel  great  security  therefrom,  and  consequently  the  Amer- 
icans greater  difficulty  in  taking  possession  of  their  land. 
But  should  they  once  become  masters  of  the  post.s,  they 
will  surround  the  Indians,  and  accomplish  their  purpose 
with  little  trouble.  You  seem  apprehensive  that  the 
English  are  not  very  anxious  about  the  defense  of  the 
posts.  You  will  soon  be  satisfied  that  they  have  nothing 
more  at  heart,  provided  that  it  continues  to  be  the  wish 
of  the  Indians,  and  that  they  remain  firm  in  doing  their 
part  of  the  business,  by  preventing  the  Americans  from 
coming  into  their  country,  and  consequently,  from  march- 
ing to  the  posts.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Indians  think 
it  more  for  their  interest  that  the  Americans  should  have 
possession  of  the  posts,  and  be  established  in  their  coimtry, 
they  ought  to  declare  it,  that  the  English  need  no  longer 
be  put  to  the  vast  and  unnecessary  expense  and  incon- 
veniences of  keeping  the  posts,  the  chief  object  ot  which 

37 


is  to  protect  their  Indian  allies,  and  the  loj'alists  who  have 
suffered  with  them." 

This  artful  prcMiunciamento  was  well  calculated,  as  it 
was  evidently  designed,  to  encourage  the  Indians  to  persist 
in  their  claim  of  territorial  jurisdiction,  and  incite  them  to 
fresh  acts  of  hostility  against  the  venturesome  pioneer. 
With  such  assurances  of  friendship  and  support,  backed 
by  the  presence  of  the  British  garrisons,  and  the  sight  of 
the  British  flag,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  Indians 
were  encouraged  to  persist  in  their  hostility  towards  the 
United  States,  and  that  all  efforts  to  secure  possession  of 
this  territory  by  peaceful  instrumentality  proved  wholly 
abortive. 

The  defeat  of  the  forces  of  Gen.  Harmer,  sent  against 
the  Indians  in  1790,  followed  a  year  later  by  the  defeat  of 
St.  Clair,  served  to  increase  their  hostility,  and  demon- 
strated how  thoroughly  British  influence  aroused  and 
solidified  the  Indians  in  defense  of  what  they  had  been 
taught  and  encouraged  to  believe  were  their  inalienable 
rights.  Brant,  the  chief  of  the  Six  Nations,  whose  influ- 
ence was  solicited  by  President  Washington,  after  the 
defeat  of  Harmer  and  St.  Clair,  to  bring  about  a  peace 
with  the  western  tribe,  to  which  end  a  commission  was 
appointed  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  in  1793,  in 
explanation  of  the  failure  of  such  commission,  did  not 
hesitate  to  declare  it  was  British  influence  which  prevented 
its  consummation.  "To  our  surprise,"  he  said,  "when 
upon  the  point  of  entering  upon  a  treaty,  with  the  com- 
missioners, we  found  it  was  opposed  by  those  acting  under 
the  British  government,  and  hope  of  assistance  was  given 
to  our  western  brethren  to  encourage  them  to  insist  vipon 
the  Ohio  as  the  boundary  between  them  and  the  United 
States." 

38 


The  response  of  the  Indians  to  the  overtures  of  this 
commission  disclosed  the  "power  behind  the  throne," 
when  they  declared  :  "  We  desire  you  to  consider  that  our 
only  demand  is  the  peaceable  possession  of  a  small  part  of 
our  once  great  country.  We  shall  be  persuaded  that  you 
mean  to  do  us  justice  if  you  agree  that  the  Ohio  River 
shall  remain  the  boundary  between  us." 

I  have  said  this  much  in  explanation  of  the  motive  for 
the  retention  of  the  posts  on  the  frontier.  Thus  ended 
this  renewed  effort  on  the  part  of  the  government  to  con- 
ciliate the  Indians,  and  establish,  by  treaty  stipulation,  the 
peace  and  security  of  the  border. 

The  Indians  elated  with  the  victories  over  Harmer 
and  St.  Clair,  were  emboldened  in  iheir  manifestations 
of  hostility,  while  the  governor  of  Canada  proceeded  to 
erect  a  new  fort  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee,  which  was 
interpreted  by  the  Indians  as  a  fresh  assurance  of  sym- 
pathy and  support.  This  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
British  to  entrench  themselves  more  securely  on  the 
border,  was  declared  by  Washington  to  be  the  most 
daring  act  yet  committed  by  the  British  agents  in  America, 
though  not  the  most  hostile  or  cruel,  for  he  declared  : 
"  There  does  not  remain  a  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  well- 
informed  person  in  this  country,  not  shut  against  con- 
viction, that  the  murders  of  our  helpless  women  and 
innocent  children,  along  our  frontiers,  result  from  the 
conduct  of  the  agents  of  Great  Britain  in  this  country." 

With  increased  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Indians, 
and  a  fresh  assumption  of  power  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain,  it  was  manifest  affairs  were  rapidly  approaching 
a  crisis,  when  it  would  become  necessary  for  the  govern- 
ment to  assert  its  rightful  dominion  and  admonish  the 
Indians  and  their  British  allies,  that  the  savagery  of  the 


one  and  the  domination  of  tlie  other  could  not  longer 
be  tolerated.  To  this  end  Gen.  Wayne,  in  command  of 
the  United  States  forces,  entered  the  territory  on  the  20th 
of  August,  1794,  fought  a  bloody  but  decisive  battle  with 
the  Indians  within  hearing  of  the  newly  erected  British 
fort  on  the  Maumee.  The  officer  in  command  of  the  fort, 
Maj.  Campbell,  having  inquired  of  Gen.  Wayne  what 
interpretation  was  to  be  placed  upon  the  near  approach 
of  his  command  to  the  garrison  which  he  had  the  honor 
to  command,  must  have  received  the  impression  from  the 
general's  reply  that  it  was  none  of  the  major's  particular 
business,  as  he  said :  "  The  most  full  and  satisfactory 
answer  was  given  the  day  before  from  the  muzzle  of 
my  guns  in  an  action  with  a  horde  of  savages  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  fort,  and  which  terminated  gloriously  to 
the  American  arms.  "  And  the  general  took  occasion  to 
add,  for  the  information  of  the  British  commandant, 
which  must  have  served  as  food  for  reflection,  that,  "  Had 
the  battle  continued  until  the  Indians  were  driven  under 
the  influence  of  your  fort  and  guns,  they  would  not  much 
have  impeded  the  progress  of  the  victorious  army  under 
my  command.  " 

It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  In  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  British  emissaries  to  induce  the  Indians  to 
prolong  the  conflict,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1795,  the 
Indians  responded  to  the  invitation  of  Gen,  Wayne  to 
meet  him  in  council,  at  Greenville,  where  they  entered 
into  and  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace.  By  the  terms  of 
this  treaty  extensive  grants  of  land  were  ceded  to  the 
United  States,  among  them  a  strip  six  miles  wide  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  Michigan  from  the  Raisin  River  to 
Lake  St,  Clair,  and  all  claims  to  the  posts  at  Detroit  and 
Mackinac  wholly  surrendered.     In  the  meantime  a  treaty 

40 


had  been  coiicludecl  witli  Great  Britain,  by  which  it 
was  stipulated  among  other  things,  that  "  on  or  before  the 
I  St  day  of  June,  1796,  the  British  garrison  should  be 
withdrawn  from  all  posts  and  places  within  the  limits 
of  the  United  States." 

The  execution  of  the  terms  of  this  treaty  was  some- 
what delayed,  but  on  the  nth  day  of  July,  1796,  a 
hundred  years  ago  this  very  day,  the  American  flag 
was  for  the  first  time  unfurled  at  Detroit,  proclaiming 
the  departure  of  an  alien  power  and  the  ascended  sov- 
ereignty of  the  United  States.  It  is  most  fitting,  there- 
fore, that  the  centennial  anniversary  of  that  day  should  be 
commemorated  on  the  very  spot  made  memorable  by  the 
happening  of  this  great  event  and  that  it  should  be 
marked  with  enduring  tablet  that  the  memory  of  it 
may  be  preserved  and  transmitted  to  those  who  are  to 
come  after  us. 

And  let  me  say  in  this  connection,  that  what  occurred 
here  a  century  ago  to-day,  was  fraught  with  more  than 
local  interest.  It  meant  the  enforcement  of  that  great 
ordinance  of  1787  which,  for  wise  statesmanship  and 
patriotic  purpose,  is  entitled  to  hold  a  place  in  American 
history  second  only  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
For  it  was  by  this  ordinance  that  the  territory  northwest 
of  the  Ohio,  embraced  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan, 
was  set  apart  and  forever  dedicated  to  free  government 
and  enlightened  citizenship. 

It  guaranteed  freedom  of  religious  worship,  a  compre- 
hensive bill  of  rights,  encouragement  oi."  schools,  that  the 
states  to  be  formed  from  this  territory  not  less  than  three 
nor  more  than  five  should  remain  permanently  in  the 
confederacy,   and    finally  that    there  should    be  neither 

41 


slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  within  the  limits  of  said 
territory,  except  in  the  punishment  of  crime,  of  which  the 
party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted. 

By  this  ordinance  the  great  northwest  was  made  the 
nursery  of  civil  and  religious  liberty — the  cradle  of  free 
states  and  free  men.  And  what  was  of  incalculable  value, 
as  subsequent  events  demonstrated,  its  terms  were  to 
remain  forever  unalterable,  except  by  common  consent. 
Every  attempt  to  abrogate  or  suspend  its  provisions 
proved  wholly  abortive.  This  great  ordinance,  irrevocable 
in  character,  defended  by  resolute  and  uncompromising- 
men,  proved  to  be  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  the  exten- 
sion of  slavery  in  the  northwest,  and  a  wall  of  defense  to 
the  champions  of  free  states  and  free  men. 

We  do  well,  therefore,  to  commemorate  an  event 
which  is  not  only  of  local  interest,  but  which,  in  its  far- 
reaching  influence,  has  been  felt  through  the  intervening 
years,  and  made  its  lasting  impress  on  the  century.  The 
flag  which  a  hundred  years  ago  was  here  unfurled,  on  the 
then  borders  of  civilization,  proclaiming  the  sovereignty  of 
the  nation  over  the  northwest,  has  been  borne  across  and 
subdued  a  continent,  and  floats  to-day,  with  augmented 
power  and  glory,  over  seventy-five  millions  of  people, 
possessing  a  domain  imperial  in  extent,  and  a  government 
securely  reposing  on  the  public  will. 

May  that  banner,  symbolizing  unity  and  liberty,  float 
on  forever,  commanding  the  allegiance  of  the  citizen  and 
the  respect  of  mankind. 


Senator    Burrows'    oration    was  enthusiastically  ap- 
plauded. 


42 


JAMES  B.  ANGELL,   LL.  D.. 
President  of  the  University  of  Micliigan. 


PRESIDENT  ANGELL'S  ADDRESS. 

Pres.  James  B.  Angell,of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
was  then  called  upon  by  the  chairman,  for  a  few  words. 
He  was  received  with  hearty  cheers,  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

Mr.  P resident y  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — He  must  be  a 
bolder  or  a  vainer  man  than  I  am,  who  can  willingly  rise 
to  his  feet  here,  to  speak  at  this  late  hour,  and  to  follow 
the  two  distinguished  men,  whose  instructive  and  eloquent 
addresses  we  have  listened  to  with  such  delight.  But  I 
remember  that  Gen.  Alger  is  in  command,  and  whenever 
he  has  faced  a  foe,  it  has  proved  useless  to  resist.  And, 
indeed,  it  is  not  easy  to  keep  silent,  when  one  stands  in 
this  inspiring  presence,  and  on  this  sacred  spot,  and  sur- 
rounded by  these  precious  relics  of  the  past. 

Rhode  Islander  as  I  am  by  birth,  I  cannot,  unmoved, 
take  in  my  hand  this  telescope,  which  that  brave  Rhode 
Islander,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  captured  from  the  ship  of 
the  British  commander,  in  the  decisive  battle  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  he  must  have  a  colder  heart  than  I,  who  can  lay  his 
hand  on  this  old  flag  stafif  without  feeling  something  of  the 
touch  of  patriotic  joy  with  which  those  sixty-five  brave 
American  soldiers  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  raised  to  its 
peak  a  hundred  years  ago  this  day,  in  token  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  our  sovereignty  over  the  whole  northwest. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  to  celebrate  this  day.  I  have 
often  wondered  that  Detroit  has  not  given  more  oppor- 
tunities to  commemorate  the  great  men  and  the  great 
events  in  its  remarkable  history.  Long  years  ago,  the 
sagacious  men,  who  laboriously  ascended  this  stream,  saw 
that  this  place  was  "beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the 
whole  earth,"  that  here  was  sure  to  be  a  city,  "  the  Queen 

43 


of  the  Straits,"  wearing  at  her  j,Mrdle  the  key  to  the  upper 
hikes,  and  to  the  great  northwest.  You  make  pilgrimages 
to  Bunker  Hill,  to  Valley  Forge,  and  to  Yorktown,  as  to 
sacred  slirines.  But  to  what  spot  in  all  this  land  are  more 
romantic  and  thrilling  historic  associations  attached  than 
to  this,  when  one  recalls  the  adventures  of  the  old  explorers 
and  missionaries,  the  gifted  men  who  administered  affairs 
under  the  French  rule  ;  the  shrewd  English  administrators 
and  soldiers  who  succeeded  them  ;  the  Indian  wars,  which 
centered  here  ;  the  painful  events  of  the  Revolutionary 
days,  and  of  the  War  of  1812.  Our  children  and  our  chil- 
dren's children  should  all  be  made  to  feel,  by  celebrations 
like  this,  and  by  historic  monuments  and  commemorative 
tablets,  that  here,  at  their  own  homes,  is  a  spot  as  sacred 
in  their  country's  history,  as  any  in  all  our  broad  domain. 
The  distinguished  speakers  who  have  preceded  me 
have  suggested,  ai-d  truly,  that  one  of  the  reasons  why 
Great  Britain  retained  this  and  other  frontier  posts  for 
thirteen  years  after  the  Treaty  of  Independence,  was 
their  doubt  whether  we  were  really  going  to  be  able 
to  retain  our  independence.  Under  the  weakness  of  our 
old  confederation  this  doubt  on  the  part  of  the  English 
was  perhaps  not  unreasonable.  But,  may  I  call  your 
attention  to  the  more  surprising  fact  that  long  after  the 
establishment  of  our  stronger  government  under  the  con- 
stitution, the  English  seemed  to  cherish  the  same  doubt. 
In  1 814,  at  the  opening  of  the  negotiations  for  the  Treaty 
of  Ghent,  the  very  first  proposition  made  by  the  British 
commissioners  to  ours,  and  made  as  a  sine  qua  non  of 
the  treaty,  was  that  we  should  set  apart  for  Indians  the 
vast  territory  now  comprising  the  states  of  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  Illinois,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  states 
of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  that  we  should  never  purchase 

44 


it  from  them.  A  sort  of  Indian  sovereij^nty  under  British 
guaranty  was  to  be  established  in  our  domain.  Coupled 
with  this  was  a  demand  that  we  should  have  no  armed 
force  on  the  lakes.  There  were  other  demands  scarcely 
less  prepostercnis.  Think  of  making  such  "cheeky" 
demands  as  these  to  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Henry  Clay 
and  James  A.  iiayard  and  Albert  (iallatin  and  Jonathan 
Russell.  It  did  not  take  these  spirited  men  many  minutes 
to  send  back  answer  in  effect  that  until  the  United  States 
had  lost  all  sense  of  independence,  they  would  not  even 
listen  to  such  propositions.  They  threatened  to  j^o  home. 
Castlcreajjh,  the  Prime  Minister,  happening;  to  reach 
Ghent  on  his  way  to  Vienna,  ordered  an  abatement  of  the 
British  demands,  and  so  an  honorable  peace  was  made. 
But  the  same  idea  of  a  "buffer  state"  of  Indians  under 
British  influence,  to  be  used  in  need  as  a  means  of  regain- 
ing power  here,  was  cherished  at  the  outset  as  was  enter- 
tained in  1790. 

And  even  if  we  come  down  to  our  Civil  War,  who  has 
forgotten  how  Lord  John  Russell,  in  response  to  our 
demands  for  the  suppression  of  cruisers  like  the  Alabama, 
replied  that  Great  Britain  had  no  municipal  law  which 
forbade  the  construction  of  such  vessels,  and  refused  to 
consider  our  contention  that  international  law  called  for 
the  prohibition  of  them.  He  did  not  believe  that  we  were 
to  survive  as  a  nation  long  enough  or  strong  enough 
to  enforce  our  demands.  He  afterwards  manfully  con- 
fessed his  mistake.  But  his  first  answer  to  us  afterwards 
cost  England  fifteen  and  a  half  million  dollars.  And  did 
not  Hon.  Mr.  Gladstone  declare  that  Mr,  Jefferson  Davis 
had  created  a  nation  ?  With  all  our  respect  for  him, 
it  is  hard  for  us  to  forget  that  imhappy  remark,  which 
he  had  no  business  to  make. 

45 


But,  thank  God,  when  the  brave  veterans  at  Appo- 
mattox struck  the  last  fatal  blow  and  ended  the  war 
of  secession,  you  also  won  a  victory  of  which  perhaps  you 
little  thought  at  the  tinie  you  slew  the  last  lingering  doubt 
in  the  English  mind  of  the  ability  and  will  of  this  nation 
to  maintain  its  integrity  and  its  independence.  From  that 
day  to  this  no  I'^nglishinan  has  raised  the  question 
whether   we   are   to   remain    a   mighty   and  free   nation. 

But  I  say  all  this  without  any  spark  of  bitterness 
toward  England.  Thank  God,  when  her  troops  quitted 
our  soil  they  did  not  take  away  with  them  those  muniments 
of  liberty,  which  we  brought  from  the  home  of  our  fathers, 
the  habeas  corpus,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  the  right  of 
petition,  the  spirit  of  obedience  to  law,  the  inextinguishable 
love  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  These  English-speaking 
races,  now  that  England  recognizes  thoroughly  our  inde- 
pendence and  our  strength,  bound  together  by  the  ties  of 
a  common  language,  common  blood,  similar  laws  and 
political  institutions,  fondly  hope  to  settle  all  their  mis- 
understandings without  war,  and  by  their  example  of 
good  government,  to  commend  free  institutions  to  all 
nations. 

The  whole  world  respects  us  now.  There  is  no  sea  so 
remote,  and  no  pathway  of  the  traveler  so  excluded,  that 
the  flag  of  our  Union  is  not  there  sufficient  protection  to 
the  humblest  American  citizen.  And  it  is  to  you,  brave 
old  veterans  of  the  war,  that  we  owe  this  \  .  oud  position  of 
our  nation. 

When  the  applause  which  greeted  the  speaker  had 
subsided,  a  benedicti<jn  was  pronounced  by  Rt.  Rev.  John 
S.  Foley,  D.  D.,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Detroit,  after 
which  the  great  gathering  dispersed. 

46 


THE  LUNCH  ON  THE  RIVER. 

Itiiniediately  after  leavinj^  the  hall,  the  speakers  and 
distinj^uishcd  visitors  were  driven  to  the  foot  of  Wood- 
vv.ird  avenue,  where  the  steamer  Pleasure  was  awaitinj; 
ihcm.  Ab(jul  300,  including  the  eonimiltees  of  the  day 
and  the  members  of  the  Fourth  Infantry,  M.  N.  (1.,  who 
had  acted  as  ushers  at  the  hall,  boarded  the  vessel  and 
were  carried  several  miles  down  the  river.  An  excellent 
lunch  was  served,  and  Maud's  mandolin  orchestra  enliv- 
ened the  occasion  with  music.  There  was  no  set  pro- 
gramme, but  conversation  and  music  made  the  time  pass 
very  pleasantly.  The  day  was  fine  and  nothiu}^  could 
have  been  wished  to  add  to  the  perfect  enjoyment  of 
the  occasion. 

THE  MILITARY  PARADE. 

Hetween  the  hours  of  four  and  six  in  the  afternoon 
the  celebration  took  the  form  of  a  grand  military  parade. 
Major  Ford  H,  Rogers  was  chief  marshal  and  (len.  Arthur 
Bresler  chief  of  staff.  The  parade  formed  on  Jefferson 
avenue  at  Dequindre  street,  and  the  route  of  march  was 
down  Jefferson  to  Woodward,  up  Woodward  and  Monroe 
avenues  to  Miami  avenue,  tlience  up  to  the  (irand  Circus 
and  back  by  Woodward  to  Michigan  avenue;  thence  by 
Wayne  street  to  Lafayette  avenue,  to  Third  street,  to  Fort 
street  and  by  that  thoroughfare  to  the  Campus  Martins, 
where  the  various  companies  and  organizations  participat- 
ing were  disbanded.  Forty-five  minutes  were  consumed 
in  passing  a  given  point. 

47 


On  the  Fort  street  side  of  the  new  Federal  Building, 
to  the  east  of  the  main  entrance,  a  reviewing  stand  had 
been  erected,  where  the  members  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, the  invited  guests  and  the  members  of  the  city 
government  occupied  seats. 

On  the  entire  line  of  march  the  sidewalks  were 
thronged  by  tens  of  thousands  of  spectators.  The  build- 
ings on  the  route  were  gaily  decorated  and  every  window 
was  filled  with  heads.  All  along  the  route  the  enthusi- 
asm was  as  great  as  the  crowds. 

The  parade  was  led  by  a  detachment  of  mounted 
police  followed  by  the  entire  force  under  the  command  of 
Chief  Starkweather.     Then  in  order: 

The  chief  marshal  and  his  aides. 

The  19th  Infantry  U.  S.  A.,  with  its  band,  Col.  vSnyder 
leading  in  person. 

Gov.  John  T.  Rich,  in  citizen's  clothes,  riding  on  a 
black  horse,  and  attended  by  his  staff,  mounted  and  in 
full  uniform. 

The  4th  Infantry  Michigan  National  Guard,  with  its 
band. 

A  battalion  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve,  in 
naval  uniform. 

A  small  detachment  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard 
Veteran   Corps. 

The  second  division,  under  command  of  Capt.  John 
Conline,  U.  S.  A.,  was  made  up  of 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.'s  Band. 
Detroit  Post  No.  384,  G.  A.  R. 
Fairbanks  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R. 
Farquahar  Post  No,  152,  G.  A.  R. 
Michigan  Post  No,  393,  G.  A.  R. 

48 


A  body  of  the  Union  Veterans'  Union. 

A  party  of  21  little  girls,  in  patriotic  colors,  carrying 
red,  white  and  blue  umbrellas. 

Ten  colored  veterans. 

The  second  division  was  completed  by  the  "  living 
flag" — a  body  of  250  girls  and  boys  dressed  in  white,  blue 
or  red  clothes  throughout,  and  so  disposed  that  when 
looked  down  upon  from  any  height  the  phalanx  presented 
an  exact  representation  of  the  American  flag. 

The  third  division,  under  Assistant  Marshal  A.  P.  T. 
Beniteau,  embraced: 

The  Detroit  Guardmen's  Band. 

The  Maybury  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Grays. 

The  St.  Elizabeth's  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  St.  John's  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  St.  Boniface  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Rifles. 

The  St.  Paul's  Cadets,  (St.  Casimir's  Parish). 

The  Kosciusko  Guards. 

St.  Michael's  Commandery. 

St.  Ladislaus  Commandery. 

St.  Stanislaus  Commandery. 

All  the  cadets  were  uniformed  and  armed,  and 
attracted    attention    by    their    excellent    drill. 

The  fourth  division,  under  Col.  Fred.  E.  Farnsworth, 
was  made  up  as  follows: 
The  Metropolitan  Band. 
Knights  of  St.  John  and  Patriarchs  Militant. 
The  Klks,  in  white  uniforms  and  white  umbrejlas. 


49 


The  fifth  division  was  marshaled   by  Ralph  Phelps, 
assisted  by  Col.  R,  G.  Butler.     It  included  : 
The  two  Newsboys'  Bands. 

The  Letter  Carriers  in  uniform  and  admirably  drilled. 
The  Fire  and  Police  Notification  Company. 
The  Newsboys'  Association. 

It  was  six  o'clock  when  the  parade  terminated  and 
the  exercises  of  the  day  were  at  an  end. 


LETTERS  OF  REGRET. 

Letters  of  regret  were  received  from  Governors 
Busiel,  of  New  Hampshire ;  Woodbury,  of  Vermont ; 
Coffin,  of  Connecticut ;  Morton,  of  New  York  ;  Griggs,  of 
New  Jersey  ;  O'Ferrall,  of  Virginia  ;  Carr,  of  North  Caro- 
lina ;  Atkinson,  of  Georgia ;  McCorkle,  of  West  Virginia; 
Bradley,  of  Kentucky;  Foster,  of  Louisiana  ;  Stone,  of 
Missouri ;  Altgeld,  of  Illinois  ;  Matthews,  of  Indiana; 
Bushnell,  of  Ohio;  Cullen,  of  Texas;  Thornton,  of  New 
Mexico  ;  Rickards,  of  Montana,  and  Lord,  of  Oregon. 

Also  from  President  Cleveland,  Postmaster-General 
Wilson,  Secretary  of  State  Olney,  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
Herbert,  Attorney-General  Harmon,  and  Justices  Brewer, 
Peckham  and  Fuller  of  the  Supreme  Court,  also  the 
French  and  Russian  Ambassadors,  Senators  Sherman, 
Vilas,  Frye,  Allison  and  McMillan,  and  Representatives 
Reed,  Fischer  and  Henderson,  and  many  others. 

LETTER  FROM  GOVERNOR  O'FERRALL 

Governor  Charles  T.  O'Ferrall,  of  Virginia,  who  had 
expected  to  attend   ^he  festivities,  with  his  entire  staff, 


was   unavoidably   prevented.     The   following   letter   was 
received   from   him: 


COMMONWEALTH  OF  VIRGINIA, 

(iovernor's  office. 

RicHMo.Ni),  Va.,  July  8th,  1S96. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Dickinson  : 

I  regret  exceedingly  I  cannot  attend  Dei  '  great  celebration. 
An  official  engagement  over  which  I  have  no  control  will  prevent. 
Our  statute  requires  the  board  of  public  works,  of  which  the  j^over- 
nor  is  ex-offi.cio  president,  to  assess  during  the  present  week  the 
railroads  of  the  state  for  purposes  of  taxation,  and  the  board  is  now 
engaged  in  the  performance  of  this  important  duty. 

I  beg  to  assure  the  good  people  of  your  historic  city  I  .vc.'.ld  be 
more  than  happy  to  be  with  them,  and  that  I  appreciate  beyond 
measure  the  high  compliment  they  have  paid  this  old  commonwealth 
in  their  cordial  invitation  to  me  as  her  governor,  to  be  present  and 
address  them  upon  the  interesting  occasion. 

Virginia  reciprocates  warmly  their  kind  and  generous  considera- 
tion, and  her  people  are  more  than  gratified  to  find  in  their  hrirty 
action  unmistakable  evidence  that  all  feelings  of  estrangement 
resulting  from  civil  strife  have  been  forever  buried,  and  the  two 
sections  stand  together  in  soul  and  spirit,  under  one  tlag  and  one 
constitution.  Each  section  has  memories  which  she  will  ever  cherish 
with  peculiar  tenderness,  yet  they  are  in  fact  common  memories,  for 
they  spring  from  the  glories  of  the  American  soldier  whether  he  fell 
under  the  stars  and  stripes  or  the  stars  and  bars.  I  speak  for  the 
South  when  I  say  she  is  as  loyal  to  the  tlag  of  our  reunited  country 
as  she  was  to  the  southern  cross,  and  that  her  sons  will  be  ready 
at  all  times  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their  no'-thern 
brethren  in  the  maintenance  of  their  country's  honor  and  the 
defense  of  their  country's    rights. 

This  old  dominion  State,  immortalized  in  song  and  story, 
crowned  with  glories  and  hung  with  memories,  and  who  gave  to  the 
cause  of  republican  liberty  her  Ileury,  Jefferson,  Washington  and 

51 


Madison,   joins   with   your  great    State    in    commemorating    "  the 
closing    act    of    the   war  of  American   independence. " 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  again  assure  you  that  I  regret  more  than 
I  can  express,  my  inability  to  be  absent  from  my  post  at  this  time. 
I  am  indeed  almost  selfish  enough  to  wish  that  I  could  change  the 
date  of  the  evacuation  as  recorded  by  the  chronicler,  and  make  it  a 
little  later,  so  that  I  might  participate  in  celebrating  the  memorable 
event  and  meeting  with  your  sturdy  northwest  people. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

CHAS.  T.  O'FERRALL.    • 

Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,  Detroit,  Mich. 

FROM  GOVERNOR  MATTHEWS. 
EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

INUIANAl'OLIS,    INU. 

July  6th,  1896. 

Hon.   Don  M.   Dickinson,    Chairman   Committee   on    Invitations, 
Detroit,  Michigan : 

Dear  Sir  : — It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  I  cannot  accept  the 
kind  invitation  of  your  Committee  to  join  with  the  people  of  your 
State  and  city  in  celebrating  the  memorable  event,  which  had  so 
much  to  do  in  shaping  the  destiny  of  our  Western  and  Northwestern 
territory.  Indiana  will  rejoice  with  her  sister  Michigan  and  extends 
her  hand  in  cordial  greeting. 

The  eleventh  of  July  1796,  the  lowering  of  the  'British  flag  to 
that  of  the  young  Republic,  marked  an  important  event,  not  alone 
in  your  State  history,  but  in  that  of  all  states  formed  from  that 
magnificent  empire  passing  into  the  indisputable  control  of  Amer- 
ican freemen.  It  was  indeed  a  vast  empire  opened  up  to  a  triumph- 
ant Christian  civilization,  and  a  race  of  strong,  brave  and  resolute 
freemen.  Your  celebration  will  strike  a  responsive  chord  in  every 
patriotic  heart  in  Indiana,  and  we  know  the  day  will  be  fittingly  and 
splendidly  honored  by  your  own  brave  and  enterprising  people. 

Regretting  my  inability  to  be  with  you  on  behalf  of  the  State  ot 
Indi  nia,  I  am,  with  high  esteem. 

Very  truly  yours, 

CLAUDE  MATTHEWS, 


$' 


FROM  SENATOR  ALLISON. 

Dunu(jUE,  Iowa,  July  7th,  1896. 
To  the  Honorable  the  Committee  on  Invitation  of  the  One  Hun- 
dredth Anniversary,  Detroit,  Mich.  : 

Gentlemen  : — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your 
invitation  to  be  present  at  the  ceremonies  commemorative  of  the 
evacuation  of  Detroit  one  hundred  years  ago.  With  thanks  for  your 
invitation,  I  regret  that  my  engagements  are  such  that  I  cannot  have 
the  pleasure  to  accept. 

The  event  you  commemorate,  constitutes  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  our  country.  It  was  the  culminating  act  in  completing  our 
Independence.  Though  the  Northwest  Territory  had  been  organ- 
ized for  some  time,  its  settlement  had  been  retarded  by  its  con- 
tinuous occupation  by  the  British,  which  appeared  to  be  indefinite 
until  the  Jay  treaty  fixed  a  time  for  the  final  departure  of  the  British 
troops.  This  treaty,  much  abused  when  made,  was  of  incalculable 
service  not  only  to  this  region  but  to  the  whole  country  as  well.  It 
secured  the  rapid  growth  of  the  northwest  and  the  creation  of  five 
populous  states  northwest  of  the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  made  necessary  the  acquisition  of  the  territory  west  of  that 
river,  happily  achieved  through  the  Lousiana  purchase  only  a  few 
years  later.  Those  who  negotiated  that  treaty,  and  the  one  acquir- 
ing Lousiana,  did  not  realize  that  within  a  century  of  time  "The 
Northwest  Territory,"  so  called,  and  the  contiguous  territory  lying 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  would  embrace  twelve  great  states,  having 
an  intelligent  and  cultivated  population  of  twenty-three  millions  of 
people  enjoying  the  blessings  of  free  government,  with  an  accumu- 
lated wealth  of  twenty-five  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  or  more 
than  one  thousand  dollars  for  each  inhabitant,  and  nearly  two-fifths 
of  the  population  and  wealth  of  the  whole  country.  Yet  through  the 
exertions  of  those  who  have  come  and  gone  within  the  century,  and 
of  those  who  still  remain,  these  are  the  conditions  existing  at  the 
end  of  the  first  century  of  the  day  you  commemorate.  May  we 
venture  the  hope  that  those  who  commemorate  the  second  century 
may  be  as  prosperous  and  contented  in  the  enjoyment  of  conditions 
equally  favorable. 

Again  expressing  my  regrets,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  B.  ALLISON. 

53 


FROM  SENATOR  McMILLAN, 

Manchkstkk,  Mass.,  July  5,  1896. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  regret  that  absence  from  the  city  will  prevent 
me  from  joining  my  fellow  citizens  in  the  celebration  of  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  surrender  of  the  post  of  Detroit  to  the 
United  States,  on  July  nth. 

With  a  foresight  amounting  almost  to  inspiration,  our  treaty 
commissioners  insisted  on  drawing  the  boundary  line  so  as  to  include 
Michigan  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and  when,  for 
the  purpose  of  retaining  control  over  the  fur  trade,  England  refused 
to  give  up  the  Northwestern  posts,  the  Jay  treaty  finally  gave  us 
possession  of  the  territory  George  Rogers  Clark  had  so  bravely  won 
by  the  sword  ;  and  nine  years  later  civil  government  according  to 
American  ideals  was  set  up  within  our  borders. 

It  is  fitting  that  these  anniversaries  should  be  observed,  in  order 
that  the  eventful  history  of  nearly  two  centuries  may  teach  us  to 
prize  the  inheritance  perfected  for  us  by  three  great  nations, 

I  am,  Very  truly  yours, 

JAMES  McMillan. 

Hon.    Don   M.   Dickinson,  Chairman   Committee  on  Invitations, 
Detroit,  Mich. 


54 


A  WORD  IN  EXPLANATION. 

The  foregoing  pages  form  the  official  report  of  the 
committee  on  publication  of  Evacuation  Day  Exercises. 
The  following  pages  include  those  articles  of  an  historical 
nature  that  appeared  in  the  Detroit  papers  at  the  time  of 
the  celebration. 

While  I  have  had  no  hand  in  writing  any  of  the  arti- 
cles, I  have  thought  them  worthy  of  preservation,  and 
have  collected  and  reprinted  them  solely  with  that  object 
in  view. 

Many  of  the  papers  were  prepared  from  data  derived 
from  books  and  unpublished  manuscripts  in  my  library; 
but  the  hasty  manner  in  which  the  articles  were  originally 
written  did  not  permit  such  thorough  investigation  as 
should  precede  such  work  and  many  errors  are  apparent. 
These  I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  correct  and  they  are 
here  reproduced  as  they  first  appeared. 

The  copies  of  Canadian  Archives,  the  Askin  Papers, 

the  Cadillac  Correspondence,  the   Montreal  Manuscripts, 

the  Orderly  Books  of  General  Wayne,  consulted  by  the 

writers  and  referred  to  in  these  pages,  are  in  manuscript 

in  my  library. 

C,  M.  Burton. 


55 


ANTHONY  WAYNE. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  11,  1896.) 

"Mad  Anthony  Wayne!"  It  is  a  name,  indeed,  to  con- 
jure with,  one  that  brings  to  mind  the  stirring  deeds  and 
stem  hardships  of  those  early  pioneers  who  made  possible 
not  only  our  beautiful  City  of  the  Straits,  but  the  great 
commonwealths  whose  fertile  acres  are  the  most  fitting 
monuments  to  the  men  who  made  the  "middle  west." 

Among  all  those  whose  bravery  or  sagacity  helped  to  win 
peace  and  bring  prosperity  to  this  section,  no  name  is  held 
in  higher  esteem  than  his,  and  no  one  man  combined  in  a 
higher  degree  these  attributes.  There  are  men  who  actually 
mold  events,  and  others  who  make  the  operation  possible  by 
their  work  as  forerunners,  and  Wayne's  connection  with  the 
western  country  was  of  the  latter  nature.  For  too  long  a 
period,  Wayne  has  been  looked  upon  simply  as  the  most 
dashing  officer  of  the  Continental  army,  a  man  who  knew  not 
fear,  and  was  as  rash  as  he  was  brave.  History  sometimes 
lingers  in  giving  a  man  his  rightful  due,  but  at  length  the 
time  has  come  when  we  honor  Gen.  Wayne,  not  alone  for  his 
matchless  daring,  but  for  his  wise  counsel,  unselfish  patriot- 
ism and  wise  administration  of  whatever  trust  was  given  to 
him. 

Anthony  Wayne  was  bom  at  Waynesborough,  Pa.,  on 
January  i,  1745.  His  family  was  of  English  stock,  but  had 
been  settled  in  America  for  three  generations  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolutionary  outbreak.  At  school  he  was  considered 
incorrigible,  because  of  his  fondness  for  military  matters, 

56 


which  led  him  to  spend  more  time  in  building  miniature  for 
tifications  and  drilling  his  schoolmates  than  in  learning  his 
lessons.  He  became  a  surveyor,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution  was  a  farmer  at  Waynesborough.  At  this  time 
he  was  a  man  of  considerable  importance  in  the  community. 
Early  in  1775  he  had  raised  a  regiment,  of  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed colonel,  and  from  that  time  he  belonged  to  his 
country. 


Through  all  the  stormy  time  that  attended  the  birth  of 
our  republic,  no  sword  flashed  brighter  than  Wayne's.  Ik- 
was  made  brigadier-general  in  the  early  part  of  1777,  and 
placed  in  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops.  Under 
his  stern  discipline  and  gallant  leadership  they  became 
renowned  as  the  very  pick  of  the  Continental  army. 

No  more  dashing  exploit  is  recorded  of  any  leader  than 
the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  on  July  15,  1779,  where,  in 
a  skillfully  planned  assault,  Wayne  was  shot  down,  but 
insisted  on  being  raised  and  carried  into  the  fortress  at 
the  head  of  his  troops. 

One  of  the  characteristic,  though  unauthenticated  stories 
of  Wayne,  is  that  when  Washington  asked  him  if  he  would 
storm  Stony  Point,  he  replied:  "General,  Fll  storm  h — 1 
if  you  will  plan  it."  The  truth  is  that  Wayne  was  a  skillful 
soldier  and  his  opinion  was  always  sought  by  Washington 
upon  strategic  moves. 

Through  all  the  varied  and  shifting  scenes  of  the 
Revolution,  Wayne  shone  resplendent,  and  his  service 
extended  from  Canada  to  Georgia.  And  when  our  inde- 
pendence had  been  finally  acknowledged  by  England  and 


57 


her  troops  left  our  eastern  shore,  Wayne  sheathed  his 
sword  and  retired  to  private  hfe,  hoping  to  enjoy  the  repose 
lie  had  won  and  so  well  deserved. 


He  had  an  honorable  position  in  his  native  state,  and 
served  her  in  civil  life  with  wisdom  and  zeal.  Removing  to 
Georgia,  he  was  elected  to  congress,  but  only  served  about 
six  months. 

His  quiet  was  again  broken,  for  the  Indians  on  our  west- 
ern border  were  becoming  more  and  more  troublesome,  and 
in  1792  Washington  called  Wayne  from  his  retirement  and 
appointed  him  commander-in-chief  of  our  aniiy.  Hence- 
forth his  career  is  linked  with  the  west,  and  his  military  and 
diplomatic  skill  was  never  more  severely  tested  than  in  his 
conflict  with  the  wily  savages,  who  were  supported  and 
urged  on  by  British  agents. 


At  the  time  of  Wayne's  accession  to  the  command  of  the 
army,  our  interests  in  the  northwest  were  in  serious  jeopardy. 
The  lands  beyond  the  Ohio  had  been  settled  by  emigrants 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  including  very  many  old  sol- 
diers. The  Shawnee  and  Miami  Indians,  under  able  leader- 
ship, determined  that  the  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon 
their  territory  should  stop  at  the  Ohio,  and  for  years  they 
waged  a  bitter  and  merciless  warfare  upon  our  exposed 
frontier.  Eflforts  had  been  made  in  1790,  under  Gen.  Har- 
mar,  and  in  1791  under  Gen.  St.  Clair,  to  crush  the  power  of 
the  Indian  confederacy,  which  had  its  center  in  northwestern 
Ohio,  near  the  lake,  and  within  easy  reach  of  Detroit,  where 
the  British  had  a  strong  outpost.     Both  these  expeditions 

58 


had  resulted  in  disaster,  and  not  only  was  the  army  demoral- 
ized, but  these  defeats  increased  the  terror  ainonji;  the  settlers, 
and  depredations  became  more  frequent,  h'ifteen  hundred 
men,  women  and  children  had  paid  tlie  penalty  of  frontier 
life  with  their  lives,  between  1783  and  1790,  and  the  nation 
seemed  powerless  to  protect  our  settlements. 


"MAD  ANTHONY"  WAYNE. 

The  army  of  Harmar  had  been  a  collection  of  ill-armed, 
undisciplined  men,  led  by  officers,  who,  though  brave,  did 
not  understand  border  warfare,  while  St.  Clair's  defeat  was 
due  simply  to  his  lack  of  caution. 

But  with  Wayne's  accession  new  spirit  and  courage  were 
infused.  The  army  was  reorganized  upon  a  plan  which  per- 
mitted cohesion,  and  ease  in  handling,  and  Wayne's  stem 
discipline  and  high  reputation  as  a  soldier  soon  brought 
order  out  of  chaos. 


59 


Arrivinjjf  in  Pittsburg  in  June,  1792,  he  set  about  bis  ardu- 
ous task.  Many  of  tbe  trusted  officers  who  had  served 
under  him  in  the  Revohition  had  been  sacrificed  to  the  in- 
competence of  Harniar  and  St.  Clair,  while  the  terrors  of  the 
late  campaigns  made  recruiting  very  slow.  Wayne  labored 
patiently,  and  tiie  elTect  of  constant  drill  and  efttcient  officer- 
ing soon  began  to  show  itself  in  the  increased  confidence  of 
the  men.  He  wintered  his  command  at  a  i)oint  on  the  Ohio 
river,  2'j  miles  below  Pittsburg,  and  early  in  1793  located  a 
camp  at  Fort  Washington,  upon  the  site  of  Cincinnati.  Al- 
though the  sentiment  of  the  country  in  general  was  averse  to 
an  Indian  war,  he  did  not  relax  his  vigilance,  and  his  little 
army  became  every  day  more  efficient  and  better  disciplined. 

Wayne's  letters  at  this  time  indicate  great  familiarity  with 
the  situation  and  a  perfect  understanding  of  the  people  he 
was  to  defend,  and  of  the  foes  he  was  to  subdue.  When  at 
last  all  negotiations  failed,  he  advanced  to  a  position  80 
miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  which  he  called  Greenville,  and 
there  passed  the  winter  of  1793-94. 

International  complications  were  threatened  with  Eng- 
land, and  Wayne  was  authorized  to  reduce  the  English  post 
at  the  rapids  of  the  Miami  if  he  deemed  it  necessary. 


Full  discretionary  power  to  lead  in  this  most  delicate  posi- 
tion, was  given  by  the  government  to  the  man  whom  we  are 
accustomed  to  hear  of  only  as  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne,  and 
he  handled  the  matter  with  the  firnmess  of  the  soldier  and  the 
skill  of  the  diplomat. 

During  the  winter  he  had  established  a  fort  on  St.  Clair's 
battlefield,  which  he  named  Fort  Recovery.     This  fort  was 

60 


attacked  al)out  the  first  of  July.  1704,  l)Ut  the  Indians  were 
repulsed.  Wayne  now  felt  that  it  was  time  to  act,  and 
moved  forward  to  the  junction  of  the  Td^ize  and  Miami 
rivers,  where  he  built  Fort  Defiance.  Making  another  over- 
ture for  peace,  which  was  spurned,  he  met  the  Indians  on 
Aufjust  20,  I7<)4,  at  the  rapids  cf  the  Miami,  and  inflicted 
upon  them  a  defeat  which  brought  peace  forever  to  this 
section  of  the  country,  so  far  as  the  Indians  themselves  were 
concerned.  The  iK)wer  of  the  Indian  confederacy  was 
broken,  and  Wayne's  victory  (JiKMied  the  way  for  the  vast 
flood  of  innni}:jratioii,  which  has  transformed  the  wilderness 
of  a  hundred  years  a^o  into  one  of  the  j^arden  si)ots  of  the 
world. 


Insignificant  so  far  as  the  number  of  men  engaged,  a  mere 
skinnish  compared  to  the  battles  of  our  late  war,  it  was  yet 
one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  our  history.  In  addition  to 
settling  for  all  time  our  claim  to  the  territory  in  dispute,  it 
had  a  most  imi)()rtant  effect  upon  the  negotiations  then  in 
progress  at  London,  which  ended  in  Jay's  treaty.  Up  to 
this  time,  the  English  ministry  had  persisted  in  holding  the 
I'jiglish  posts  within  our  borders,  but  ui>on  news  of  the 
battle  reaching  London,  an  agreement  was  soon  reached, 
which  resulted  in  the  evacuation  of  these  i)osts,  one  of  the 
chief  of  which  was  Detroit. 


After  a  visit  to  Pennsylvania,  which  was  cut  short  by 
threatened  war  with  England,  Wayne  returned  to  the  border, 
emix>wered  tx>  act  as  the  agent  of  the  government  in  conduct- 
ing negotiations  for  the  delivery  of  the  posts  which  had  been 

:6i 


ceded  to  us.  His  appointment  to  this  mission  was  in  effect 
a  notice  that  there  would  be  no  trifling  or  delay  while  he  had 
cliarge  of  the  matter.  And  there  was  none.  The  posts 
were  Niagara,  Oswego,  the  Miami  and  Detroit,  and  in  the 
beginning  of  June  he  was  ordered  to  visit  these  posts  and 
take  possession  of  them  in  the  name  of  the  United  States. 
Invested  b)^  his  commission  with  civil  as  well  as  military 
powers,  he  executed  his  double  mission  with  faithfulness  and 
discretion. 

After  visiting  the  different  posts,  he  at  last  arrived  at  De- 
troit, in  September,  1796.  During  his  progress  nothing  had 
occurred  to  hinder  the  success  of  his  mission,  and  he  had 
been  received  in  every  case  in  a  courteous  and  friendly  man- 
ner. At  Detroit  he  found  many  Indians,  who  could  hardly 
express  admiration  enough,  for  he  was  one  of  the  truly 
brave  who  are  recognized  and  admired,  even  by  savages. 

The  transfer  of  Fort  Lernoult,  which  then  stood  upon  the 
site  of  the  present  city,  took  some  time,  and  Wayne  remained 
here  until  the  middle  of  November.  The  material  compos- 
ing the  rank  and  file  of  our  army  was  not  of  the  best  in  those 
days,  and  Wayne's  rule  was  stern,  but  he  looked  after  his 
men's  welfare,  and  his  sternness  and  harsh  discipline  were 
needed  to  control  his  turbulent  followers. 


Leaving  Detroit  about  the  middle  of  November,  he  sailed 
for  Presqu'  He.  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Erie,  Pa.  When 
nearly  there,  he  was  seized  with  an  attack  of  gout,  which 
had  tormented  him  for  years.  He  was  taken  to  the  ([uarters 
of  the  commandant  and  lingered  there  in  agony  for  several 
weeks,  dying  on  December  15,  1796.     By  his  own  wish,  he 


was  buried  on  a  high  hill  near  the  block  house,  and  overiook- 
iiig  the  shining  expanse  of  Lake  Erie.  His  remains  were 
removed  by  his  son  in  1809,  and  taken  to  Pennsylvania, 
'["he  site  of  the  grave  was  lost  for  a  time,  but  finally  discov- 
ered, and  in  1879  a  monument  was  placed  over  it. 

No  man  more  than  Wayne — called  "Mad  Anthony''  by  his 
soldiers  in  love  for  his  fearless  daring,  but  really  a  man  of 
consunmiate  skill  and  judgment — contributed  to  the  founda- 
tion of  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  the  great  states  that  sur- 
round Lake  Erie.  IJy  one  stroke  he  broke  the  power  that 
threatened  all  onr  border,  and  opened  our  fertile  plains  to 
till'  innnigrants.  And  right  well  has  his  lai)or  been  repaid. 
l'"or  as  long  as  men  love  brave  deeds  and  brave  leaders,  so 
long  shall  be  heard  in  our  land  the  name  of  "Afad  Anthony 
Wayne." 


OUR  CENSUS  IN  1782. 

(Detroit  Journal,  July  11,  1S96,) 
An  earlier  census  of  Detroit  may  have  been  taken,  but  the 
lirst  of  which  we  have  any  record  is  to  be  found  in  the  Cana- 
dian archives  for  1782.  It  is  entitled:  "A  survey  of  the  set- 
tlement of  Detroit,  made  by  the  order  of  Maj.  De  Peyster, 
1 6th  day  of  July.  1782.''  The  major  estimated  that  in  addi- 
tion to  those  found  by  the  enumerators  in  and  around  the 
fort,  there  were  100  in  the  king's  service  who  were  on  de- 
tached duty  out  among  the  Indians  "in  the  country."  Add- 
ing these,  the  total  population  was  2,291,  as  follows: 

Heads  of  families 321 

Married  women 254 

^3 


Widows  and  hired  women 7 j 

Young  and  hired  men 336 

Boys  526 

Male  slaves 78 

Girls    503 

Female  slaves loi 

Total    2,191 

De  Peyster  didn't  go  into  the  "survey"  as  extensively  as 
modem  superintendents  of  census,  but  he  probably  enumer- 
ated everything  in  sight.  Moreover,  it  didn't  take  him  a 
decade  to  compile  the  returns,  but  on  the  20th  he  forwarded 
his  completed  sun^ey  to  the  governor-general  at  Quebec. 

The  remainder  of  the  report  is  as  follows: 

Horses    1,112 

Oxen   413 

Cows 837 

Heifers  and  steers 452 

Sheep  447 

Hogs   1,370 

Flour,  poimds  29,250 

Wheat,  bushels  1,804 

Indian  corn,  bushels 355 

Wheat  sown  last  fall,  bushels 4,075 

Arpents  under  corn '. 521 

Arpents  under  oats 1,841 

Arpents  under  cultivation I3>77f^ 

Supposed  bushels  potatoes  in  the  ground 3,000 

Barrels  cider  supposed  will  be  made 1,000 

64 


EARLY  SHIP.MAKING. 

(Detroit   Journal,   July   11,    1896.) 

His  majesty,  George  III.,  did  one  good  thing  for  Detroit. 
If  he  was  not  the  original  ship-builder  here,  he  put  his  money 
into  the  industry  and  fostered  it.  More  than  loo  years  ago 
he  had  a  fleet  of  sailing  craft  on  the  lakes  to  transport  his 
soldiers,  ordnance  and  stores  between  Newark,  Bois  Blanc, 
Detroit  and  Michilimackinac,  and  they  bore  away  his  armies 
when  Jay's  treaties  went  into  effect. 

Shipcarpenters'  wages  were  not  exorbitant  in  those  days, 
when  Askin's  blotter  is  taken  into  consideration.  The  first 
report  on  this  industry  is  entitled:  "Muster  roll  of  officers, 
carpenters,  blacksmiths,  employed  in  his  majesty's  shipyard 
at  Detroit,  from  29th  December,  1777,  to  24th  April,  1778, 
both  days  included."  * 

Richard  Cornwall,  master  builder,  received  10  shillings 
sterling  per  day,  and  John  Shipley,  storekeeper  and  clerk  of 
the  check,  100  pounds  sterling  per  year.  All  the  other  em- 
ployes were  paid  in  New  York  currency,  and  at  the  following 
rates:  Foreman  of  the  yard,  12  shillings  ptr  day;  assistant 
foremen,  8  shillings  per  day,  and  some  of  them  10  and  8 
pounds  per  month;  carpenters,  4  to  8  shillings,  and  one  re- 
ceived 12  pounds  per  month;  sawyers,  4  tO'  8  shillings  per 
day;  blacksmiths,  the  same,  and  the  foreman  9  pounds  per 
month;  laborers,  4  pounds  per  month. 


65 


EVACUATION  DAY. 

( From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896,) 

It  is  not  exact  to  say  that  the  people  of  the  United  States 
were  made  independent  by  the  war  of  the  Revohition,  or  that 
their  independence  was  completed  with  the  evacnation  ol 
DetPoit  by  the  JBritish  forces,  just  a  century  ago  toda)'. 
Their  independence  was  really  a  fact  from  the  moment  the 
cavaliers  set  sail  for  Virginia  and  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  for 
New  England.  The  war  of  the  Revolution  was,  strictl}- 
speaking,  only  an  effective  assertion  of  wh"'  already  was  and 
had  been  for  nearly  two  centuries. 

The  independence  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  is  a 
habit  of  mind.  It  is  not  a  mere  political  dissent.  It  is  not 
comprised  in  having  thrown  ofif  British  government.  The 
throwing  ofif  of  British  government  was  but  one  among 
countless  manifestations  of  our  independence.  Our  ances- 
tors of  those  times  did  not  so  much  make  them.selves  free  as 
they  proclaimed  to  the  world  the  freedom  that  they  already 
had.  It  was  a  niotitication  to  all  nations  of  the  fact  that  the 
United  States  of  America  were  able  to  go  it  alone. 

The  evacuation  of  Detroit  was  important  politically ;  it  was 
still  more  important  as  the  symbol  of  great  things.  We  are 
to  celebrate  today  a  very  notable  expression  of  national 
character.  The  spirit  of  independence  which  forced  tlu' 
British  to  leave  our  soil  forever  is  still  alive.  It  burns  with 
undiminished  brightness.  We  have  never  ceased  to  be  inde- 
pendent. We  have  always  proceeded  without  misgi^  ings  as 
to  our  separate  destiny.     Firm  has  ever  been  our  faith  in  our 


66 


mission  to  lead,  and  with  the  g^ace  of  heaven  firm  it  always 
will  be. 

Forecaster  Conger,  of  the  weather  bureau,  last  night  pre- 
dicted fine  weather  for  the  Evacuation  day  celebration  today. 
It  is  expected  that  the  celebration  will  draw  to  the  city  a 
large  number  of  visiiors.  All  the  railroads  and  steamboat 
lines  entering  the  city  will  run  cheap  excursions  from  all 
points.  The  hotels  and  restaurants  have  made  extra  prepa- 
rations to  care  for  the  multitude. 

Everything  is  in  readiness  for  the  celebration,  which  will 
begin  promptly  at  10:30  o'clock,  except  for  tlie  crowds  to  ar- 
rive. The  decorations  on  the  inside  of  the  new  postoffice  are 
all  completed.  The  chairs  have  all  been  put  in  position.  The 
memorial  tablet  has  been  put  in  place  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Fort  street  entrance,  and  will  be  unveiled  the  first  thing  after 
the  exercises  begin. 

Yesterday  noon  the  executive  committee  held  a  meeting 
and  inspected  the  new  government  building.  They  ex- 
pressed entire  satisfaction  with  the  preparations  at  the  build- 
ing, and  extended  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Chairman  Harry  F. 
Chipman,  who  had  the  details  in  charge. 


67 


THE  EVACUATION. 

( From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896.) 

It  was  Monday,  July  ii,  1796,  and  the  scene  was  tlic  Brit- 
ish niiHtary  post  of  Detroit.  The  sun  rose  brightly  over  the 
little  town,  and  Fort  Lernoult,  and  the  l)road  expanse  of  the 
l)eautif'd  river.  At  the  first  notes  of  the  bugle  that  sounded 
forth  the  reveille  the  Union  Jack — the  meteor  flag  of  Eng- 
land— was  given  to  the  breeze,  the  main  gate  or  entrance 
to  the  fort  was  opened,  and  red-coated  sentinels  were  seen 
on  guard.  The  few  privates  left  in  the  fort  fell  into  ranks 
and  answered  to  their  names,  and  then  dispersed  to  get 
their  breakfasts  and  help  pack  up. 

There  was  to  be  no  guard-mounting  that  day. 

All  around  could  be  seen  wagons  loaded  with  hoiisehold 
goods,  and  military  supplies,  for  the  "flitting"  had  com- 
menced several  days  before,  and  the  work  of  building  Fort 
Maiden,  at  Amherstburg,  had  been  going  on  for  several 
weeks. 

On  the  ramparts  several  officers  conversed  in  groups,  ap- 
parently on  a  subject  of  engrossing  interest,  and  the  massive 
form  of  Col.  Richard  England  appeared  on  the  scene.  Tele- 
scopes were  brought  out  and  the  river  below  was  scanned 

with  interest. 

*■ 

Everybody  in  Detroit  knew  that,  by  the  terms  of  the  Jay 
treaty,  the  fort  and  its  dependencies  were  surrendered  by 
England  to  the  United  States,  and  ♦.  ut  possession  was  to  be 
given  on  July  i.  But  from  several  causes  the  United  States 
troops  had  not  come  to  claim  their  own.     .  ;i  the  intervening 

68 


flays  some  evil  disposed  soldiers  or  others  had  destroyed  sev- 
eral of  the  windniills  that  lay  on  the  river  bank,  and  did  some 
other  mischievous  acts,  but  these  were  not  probably  sanc- 
tioned by  the  connnandant,  who  was  a  i^fentleman  and  an  old 
and  experienced  soldier. 

THE    YANKEES   CAME. 

It  was  about  lo  o'clock  when  the  telescope  discovered  two 
vessels  coining  around  the  bend  of  the  river  below  the  town. 
The  flags  were  not  at  first  distinguishable,  but  in  a  short  time 
they  became  plainer  to  the  lookers,  and  the  word  went 
round: 

"The  Yankees  are  coming!" 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  tw  j  vessels,  which  were  small 
schooners,  each  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  At  this  time 
a  number  of  officers  and  men  went  down  to  the  King's 
wharf,  which  then  projected  about  150  feet  into  the  river 
at  the  foot  of  Shelby  street.  At  the  wharf  were  several 
loaded  vessels,  all  ready  to  clear.  The  American  vessels 
tacked  in  and  were  fastened  to  the  wharf,  around  which 
were  gathered  a  motley  grouj)  of  Indians,  soldiers  and 
white  settlers. 

There  is  no  record  of  how  the  small  American  advance 
force  was  received.  It  was  strictly  on  a  peace  footing,  for 
it  numbered  only  65  men.  Tlic  two  vessels  also  contained 
several  cannon,  amnnmition  and  provisions,  the  whole  being 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  Moses  Porter.  Being  officers 
and  gentlemen,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  Col.  England 
and  his  subordinates  received  them  at  the  wharf  with  cour- 
tesy and  good  feeling.     That  the  latter  feeling  predomi- 

69 


natf.d  is  certainly  true,  for  the  records  show  that  the  Britisli 
commissary  at  Chatham  loaned  50  pounds  of  pork  to  the 
United  States  oonimissary  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 

Meanwhile  the  only  one  to  show  emotion  was  the  rene- 
gade, Simon  Girty,  the  miscreant  who  had  laughed  when 
Crawford,  the  American  officer,  was  being  burned  at  the 
stake  by  the  Indians  near  Sandusky.  He  seemed  anxious 
to  leave  what  was  now  American  territory,  and  too  impa- 
tient to  wait  for  the  ferry  boat,  he  spurred  his  liiorse  into 
the  river  and  swam  it  over  to  Canada.  On  the  bank  on 
the  opposite  side  he  stopped  and  furiously  cursed  the  Ameri- 
can government  and  its  soldiers.  Like  Marmion,  when  he 
had  got  outside  of  the  Douglas  castle, 

His  shout  of  loud  defiance  pours 

And  shook  his  gauntlet  at  the  towers. 

And  then  came  the  ceremony  of  taking  possession.  The 
65  United  States  troops  formed  and  marched  up  the  hill 
to  the  fort.  They  were  probably  received  by  the  few  British 
troops  that  were  left  with  military  honors.  The  Britisli 
flag  came  down  at  noon,  and  then  the  starry  banner  of  the 
free  was  hoisted,  and  Detroit  and  the  northwest  became 
United  States  territory. 

A  letter  written  by  Col.  England  a  few  days  later  on 
Bois  Blanc  island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River,  shows 
that  he  was  in  Detroit  at  the  time  of  the  evacuation. 

There  was  certainly  no  reason  why  he  should  not  be 
present  at  that  time.  The  two  nations  were  at  peace,  and 
the  evacuation  was  the  result  of  an  amicable  treaty,  and 

70 


it  would  have  been  boorish  and  discourteous  for  him  to 
be  absent. 

On  the  13th  came  Col.  John  Francis  Hamtranick,  who 
was  in  command  of  this  post  until  the  arrival  of  his  supe- 
rior officer,  "Mad  Anthony''  Wayne,  who  came  in  Septem- 
ber. 


A  GREAT  EVENT. 

(From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11.  1896.) 

In  this  centenary  celebration  of  Evacuation  day  is  com- 
memorated one  of  the  most  important  events  in  early  Ameri- 
can history.  Yet  the  final  abandonment  by  the  British  of 
the  lake  frontier  and  the  great  northwest — a  domain  far 
more  extensive  than  the  original  13  colonies  which  so  gal- 
lantly vindicated  their  claim  to  freedom  and  independence — 
was  attended  by  no  sensational  feature.  In  the  occurrence 
itself  there  is  little  to  inspire  the  writer  to  eloquent  periods 
reciting  the  number  of  the  slain,  the  stirring  episodes  of 
conflict,  the  brilliancy  of  diplomatic  intervention,  or  the 
profundity  of  statesmanship,  through  which  the  ooiirse  of 
national  destiny  is  determined.  It  was  a  cut  and  dried 
affair,  with  rather  prosaic  details. 

It  was  like  the  quiet  meeting  of  Grant  and  Lee  at  Appo- 
mattox, which  was  only  a  settling  up  of  a  military  result, 
and  lacked  the  coloring  of  pomp  and  pageantry,  which 
was  accompanied  by  nothing  dramatic,  save  by  associ- 
ation. Yet  in  the  brief  interview  of  these  two  great  military 
representatives  there  was  solved   forever  the  problem  of 

7t 


Iminaiv  liberty  in  the  United  States,  and  the  perpetuity 
of  a  goverinnent  by  one  people  was  assured. 

So  the  evacuation  of  Detroit  a  hundred  years  ago  was 
far  less  imposing  than  its  coinnicnioration  of  today,  but 
it  was  a  climax  of  long  years  of  struggle  with  arms  and 
diplomacy,  and  its  outcome  was  of  deep  historical  signiti- 
cance.     The  evacuation  was  but  a  link  in  the  chain. 

Still,  it  is  surprising  that  there  is  so  little  of  record  con- 
cerning the  leaving  of  Detroit  by  the  British  and  its  occu- 
pancy by  the  American  government.  Some  of  the  enter- 
prising merchants  doing  business  here  at  the  time  were 
wont  to  make  entries  of  interesting  local  events  in  their 
account  books,  but  in  none  of  these  that  have  been  per- 
used by  Detroit's  antiquarians  can  be  found  any  direct 
reference  to  the  evacuation. 

As  further  showing  the  paucity  of  information  regarding 
the  actual  deliverance  of  the  fort  there  is  cited  the  fact 
that  the  only  original  map  of  Detroit  in  1796  is  now  in 
the  archives  of  the  minister  of  marine  in  Paris.  This 
work  was  done  by  Gen.  CoUot,  who  acted  as  a  spy  in  this 
region  at  the  behest  of  his  government,  and  it  shows  the 
fortifications  and  surroundings  of  the  British  fort  in  this 
city.  The  map  itself,  of  which  there  is  a  fac-simile  in  the 
office  of  C.  M.  Burton,  and  a  reproduction  in  Farmer's 
History  of  Detroit,  is  a  convincing  proof  that  the  French 
still  entertained  hopes  of  reoccupying  this  region  when  a 
favorable  period  presented  itself. 


72 


ENGLAND  AN  IRISHMAN. 

(From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896.) 

Several  years  ago  the  private  letters  of  Col.  KJclianl 
iCngland,  the  last  Mngiisli  coniiuandant  of  the  post,  were 
given  to  the  world.  It  was  naturally  supposed  that  his 
letters,  written  after  the  time  he  was  here,  would  contain 
information  concerning  the  incidents  attending  the  evacu- 
ation He  was  a  good  soldier  and  a  cultured  gentleman, 
as  his  writings  amply  attest.  But  the  papers  contain  noth- 
ing but  the  kindliest  references  to  those  he  left  behind, 
and  a  few  details  of  business  he  was  anxious  to  close.  This 
might  have  been  a  matter  of  delicacy  on  the  part  of  the 
colonel,  because  his  friends  here  were  under  a  new  regime, 
or  it  might  have  been  because  he  was  absorbed  in  new 
duties  which  demanded  his  attention.  A  prima  facie  proof 
that  he  was  a  brave  fighter  is  the  fact  that  he  was  born 
in  County  Clare,  Ireland,  and  took  to  the  profession  of 
arms  from  choice.  When  he  returned  to  England  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  afterward  George  IV.,  noticed  his  innnense  size 
and  distinguished  bearing — he  was  six  and  a  half  feet  in 
hc'ght — and  asked  a  friend  who  he  was. 

"It  is  Col.  England,"  was  the  reply. 

"England!''  said  the  prince.  "He  ought  to  be  calletl 
Great  Britain." 

In  after  years  the  colonel  settled  in  Upper  Canada  and 
was  interested  in  a  colonizing  company  which  placed  settlers 
on  lands  in  the  extreme  wcst'^ni  part  of  that  province.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  in  1793,  while  in  command  here,  a 

73 


son  was  bom  who  bore  his  father's  name.  He  also  followed 
his  father's  footsteps,  entered  the  IJritish  anny,  and  for 
distinguished  services  was  promoted  step  by  step  until 
he  became  lieutenant-general,  and  in  time  was  knighted. 
Sir  Richard  England  died  in  1883,  aged  90  years. 


FORT  LERNOULT. 

( From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896,) 

Even  as  to  Fort  Lernoult,  which  was  built  by  the  English 
in  1778  and  evacuated  in  1796,  there  is  a  conflict  of  testi- 
mony. For  instance,  Col.  Daniel  Brodhead,  then  in  com- 
mand at  Pittsburg,  wrote  Gen.  Washington  under  date  of 
November  22,  1779: 

"The  Delaware  chiefs  inform  me  that  the  new  fort  at 
Detroit  is  finished,  and  that  the  walls  are  so  high  that 
the  tops  of  the  barracks  can  scarcely  be  seen  from  the 
outside,  but  they  don't  know  whether  there  are  any  bomb- 
proofs,  as  they  are  not  permitted  to  go  into  the  fort.  They 
think  the  number  of  soldiers  there  does  not  exceed  300, 
and  some  part  of  that  number  remains  m  the  old  fort." 

After  studying  the  authorities  at  his  command,  Historian 
Silas  Farmer  describes  the  fort  as  made  by  piling  up  butts 
of  trees  with  sharpened  ends  projecting  outwards  to  a  height 
of  four  feet.  On  top  of  this  foundation  and  extending 
outward  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees,  were  heavy,  sharpened 
stakes,  and  rurrounding  all  was  an  earth  embankment  11 
feet  high.  The  top  of  the  parapet  was  12  feet  broad  and 
the  width  of  the  ramparts  at  their  base  was  26  feet.     Sur- 


rounding  the  embankment  was  a  ditch  6  feet  deep  ajid  12 
feet  wide  at  the  top,  having  in  it  a  row  of  pickets  ii  or  12 
feet  high.  It  was  40  feet  from  the  fort  to  the  banks  of 
the  Savoyard  River,  which  was  reached  by  a  precipitous 
descent.  This  description  would  seem  to  negative  the 
acoount  of  the  Indians,  as  told  by  Brodhead. 

Others  who  have  written  about  the  matter,  or  who  speak 
from  tradition,  are  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  fort  was 
not  a  very  formidable  affair  even  for  those  times.  The 
circumstances  under  which  it  was  erected,  however,  favor 
the  idea  that  it  was  calculated  to  withstand  a  vigorous 
siege  by  a  much  larger  force  than  that  defending  it.  News 
had  reached  Detroit  that  the  American  general,  Brodhead, 
was  advancing  from  the  southeast  with  a  supcrio'-  force 
in  1778,  having  already  reached  a  position  on  what  is  now 
northern  Ohio,  which  he  was  fortifying,  his  ultimate  pur- 
pose being  to  make  his  way  to  Detroit  and  capture  this 
important  point  on  the  frontier.  The  old  stockade  and 
block  houses  were  considered  by  the  British  to  be  inade- 
quate in  the  event  of  such  an  emergency.  It  was  Maj. 
Lernoult  that  approved  the  plans  for  better  defenses,  Capt. 
Bird  superintended  their  construction,  and  it  was  named 
after  the  major.  The  facts  that  Brodhead  did  not  make 
the  expected  advance,  and  that  Gen.  Clark,  commanding 
the  American  forces,  did  not  make  good  his  threat  to 
occupy  the  fort  as  soon  as  it  was  completed  by  the  British, 
does  not  lessen  the  probability  that  it  was  capable  of  mak- 
ing a  stubborn  defense.  There  were  some  difficidties  in 
engineering  that  were  not  overcome  entirely,  such  as  the 
constant  filling  in  of  the  ditches  and  the  caving  of  the 

-^'  -: .■  ■-'-     75        -,    -  -,-..,..,;  ..,-, 


ramparts  and  glacis,  which  were  caused  by  the  water  o( 
the  springs  in  the  enclosures,  but  the  work  of  strength- 
ening and  enlarging  was  generally  continued  by  the  garri- 
son until  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  between  the  two 
countries. 


WHAT  A  CHANGE. 

(From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896,) 

Some  idea  of  the  gt-eat  improvements  which  have  taken 
place  within  lOO  years  can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that 
the  fort  occupied  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  government 
building,  its  centre  being  about  the  present  intersection  of 
Fort  and  Shelby  streets.  Its  northern  bastion  extended 
nearly  to  Lafayette  avenue;  the  western  bastion  extending 
nearly  to  Wayne  street,  the  southern  extending  to  the  alley 
behind  St.  Paul's  church,  on  the  comer  of  Congress  and 
Shelby  streets,  and  the  eastern  extending  to  the  Peninsular 
bank  building  on  Fort  street. 

The  town  of  Detroit,  two-thirds  of  which  was  in  the 
stockade,  lay  east  and  south  of  the  fort.  The  citadel  was 
near  what  is  now  the  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue 
and  Wayne  street.  The  powder  magazine  was  a  little  east 
of  the  intersection  of  Congress  and  Wayne  streets,  and 
was  half  way  between  the  citadel  and  the  fort.  The  three 
points  were  connected  by  a  subterranean  passage.  The 
stockade,  composed  mostly  of  cedar  posts,  14  feet  in  height, 
with  its  strong  gates  and  block  houses,  were  regarded  by 
the  British  as  a  suflficient  reliance  against  an  attack  by 
Indians,  but  the  threatened  attack  of  the  Americans  called 


for  the  election  of  a  fort.  The  entrance  of  the  fort  was  on 
the  southern  side,  through  an  archway  of  trees,  and  a  draw- 
bridge over  the  ditch. 


THE  KEY  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 

(From  the  Detroit  Tribune,  July  11,  1896.) 

The  importance  of  Detroit  itself  at  that  lime  lay  in  the 
fact  that  it  was  a  military  point  which  was  the  Key  to  tiie 
great  northwest.  It  was  also  the  depot  of  the  fur  trade 
and  Indian  supplies  on  the  entire  frontier.  Althoug:h 
founded  by  Cadillac  iri  1701,  it  had  not  grown  much  in 
the  95  years  following,  and  was  a  village  cf  cn'.y  about 
300  houses  and  2,600  inhabitants,  which  included  about 
200  male  and  female  slaves.  Its  streets,  laid  out  in  the 
French  style,  were  narrow,  the  broadest,  which  occupied 
the  present  line  of  Jefiferson  avenue,  between  Griswold  and 
Wayne  streets,  being  only  30  feet  wide.  The  houses  and 
stores  were  entirely  built  of  logs  and  were  very  small,  space 
being  economized  to  the  utmost  within  the  stockade.  The 
chief  source  of  income  to  the  merchants  was  in  supplying 
the  troops  and  Indians,  and  dealing  in  the  furs  abundantly 
supplied  by  the  Indians,  trappers  and  organized  companies. 
Surrounding  the  little  town  was  a  dense,  primeval  forest, 
])icrced  by  no  roads  leading  into  the  interior,  save  by  Indian 
trails.  The  Detroit  River  and  the  lakes  were  the  thorough- 
fares of  travel,  so  far  as  there  were  any,  and  all  the  point'^ 
of  beauty  now  surrounding  the  city  were  obscured  by  a 
monotonous,  trackless  wilderness,  relieved  only  by  the  noble 


river  which  was  then,  and  is  now,  the  crowning  grandeur 
of  the  City  of  the  Straits.  The  most  frequeiit  visitors  were 
Indians,  who  came  here  for  various  purDOses.  Under 
British  rule  some  were  soldiers,  others  came  here  to  dispose 
of  their  peltries,  and  others  to  loaf  and  get  dnmk  on  rum, 
which  was  then  the  cheapest  spirituous  liquor  in  those 
parts.  The  British  supplied  mm  to  the  Indian  troops  as 
part  of  the  commissary  supplies,  but  under  American  rule 
there  were  efforts  made  to  withhold  intoxicants  from  the 
red  men.  Generally,  however,  they  found  a  way  to  gratify 
their  cravings  for  strong  drink.  Open  scenes  of  drunk- 
enness in  the  town  of  Detroit  under  British  rule  were 
always  witnessed  after  the  Indians  returned  from  successful 
forays  against  American  setders.  On  such  occasions  the 
red  men,  flushed  with  victory  and  rum,  would  dash  through 
the  narrow  streets,  waving  poles,  on  which  bloody  scalps 
wei  fastened,  and  yelling  like  fiends,  while  the  inhabitants 
would  prudently  fasten  their  doors.  Tlie  savages,  however, 
seldom  attacked  the  inhabitants,  and  midst  of  their  difficul- 
ties were  between  themselves.  The  presence  of  the  soldiers 
was  a  bar  against  any  attacks  on  the  seitlers  or  merchants. 
Sixteen  years  after  the  evacuation,  v/hen  the  British  cap- 
tured Detroit,  the  Indians  had  the  American  residents  at 
their  mercy,  and  committed  many  depredations. 

A  more  extended  description  of  Detroit,  in  1796,  is  given 
by  a  traveler  named  Isaac  Weld,  and  appears  on  another 
page. 


78 


OUR  OLD  RESIDENTS. 

( From  the  Detroit  Tribune.  July  11,  1896.) 
Of  the  character  of  her  people  Detroit  has  always  had 
just  cause  to  be  proiud.  In  the  early  days,  besides  the 
French  pioneers  who  sought  homes  and  lands  in  the  new 
territory,  there  were  men  of  means  and  education  wlio 
came  to  this  point  because  it  offered  profitable  business 
inducements  in  the  fur  and  Indian  trade.  Some  of  these 
men,  like  James  May  and  the  Macombs  and  Abbotts, 
conducted  business  on  a  large  scale,  and  have  an  enviable 
place  in  history  because  of  services  rendered  this  country 
when  Crreat  Iiritain  sought  to  retain  this  portion  of  its 
territory.  Some  of  the  ancestors  of  the  oldest  and  best 
families  in  Detroit  laid  the  foundations  of  their  wealth  in 
this  city,  which  has  been  increased  to  large  fortunes  in 
later  years  by  good  management  and  business  ability,  but 
])rincipally  by  the  enhaticement  of  land  values  which  always 
follows  the  increase  of  population.  ■ 

Notwithstanding  their  isolation  from  civilized  centers,  and 
the  martial  and  aboriginal  environment  of  the  place,  these 
men  provided  religious  and  educational  facilities  for  their 
families,  and  enjoyed  social  pleasures  under  what  would 
seem  to  be  most  forbidding  circumstances.  There  were 
boat  races,  athletic  sports,  dancing,  parties,  picnics,  equine 
contests  and  social  functions  wliich  are  customary  at  the 
present  day.  All  the  old  correspondence  which  has  been 
preserved  shows  that  the  leading  men  of  Detroit  in  those 
bygone  days  were  of  a  superior  class,  and  their  old-fashioned, 
punctilious  courtesy  was  exceedingly  charming  and  refined, 

79 


but  too  elaborate  for  the  msh  and  push  of  modern  days. 
These  combined  attractions,  with  the  potent  addition  of 
their  cuhivated  and  beautiful  wives  and  daughters,  made 
Detroit  a  favorite  frontier  post  for  the  military  who,  of 
course,  were  favored  guests  at  the  best  houses.  The  limited 
conmiunication  with  the  outer  world  only  served  to  bring 
the  mem.bers  of  the  little  community  into  closer  intimacy, 

WHY    ENGLAND    UELAVEI). 

The  above  is  a  brief  and  perhaps  imperfeci  description 
of  the  social,  military  and  commercial  situation  of  Detroit 
in  1796.  Why  this  section  was  not  evacuated  by  the  British 
13  years  before,  in  compliance  with  the  treaty  of  1783,  has 
ever  since  been  a  subject  of  controversy,  and  has  not  yet 
been  determined.  It  was  among  the  stipulations  of  that 
treaty  that  Great  Britain  should  be  allowed  a  reasonable 
time  within  which  to  withdraw  her  forces  from  this  country, 
but  even  the  most  radical  defenders  of  the  British  policy 
do  not  attempt  to  claim  that  her  action  was  justified  under 
this  provision.  It  would  be  the  acme  of  absurdity  to  hold, 
after  taking  years  to  defeat  an  invading  enemy,  that  he 
should  be  allowed  twice  as  many  years  to  withdraw  from 
this  country.  The  contention  made  by  the  British  and 
their  defenders  ever  since  has  been  that  the  United  States 
had  failed  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  treaty. 
A  special  count  in  this  charge  was  that  British  merchants 
were  creditors  of  merchants  in  this  country;  that  the  new 
government  had  agreed  in  the  treaty  to  guarantee  the 
payment  of  these  debts;  that  several  states  had  refused  to 
comply  with  this  agreement  because  they  had  no  constitu- 

80 


5  ;  I  ^*^*»'»*-»*'Sm**-^'    ^ 


1 


i 


tional  right  to  do  so;  and  because  of  all  this  the  British 
govcrninent  rightly  refused  to  surrender  the  sovereignty  of 
the  northwest  territory  until  the  British  merchants  were 
paid  or  secured.  This  engendered  a  bitterness  which  not 
only  led  to  a  sharp  diplomatic  correspondence,  but  in  1794 
made  a  second  war  imminent. 

ENGLAND'S   ULTERIOR    MOTIVES. 

The  generally  accepted  theory  among  American  authori- 
ties is  that  the  excuses  made  by  the  British  for  not  carry- 
ing out  their  treaty  agreements  were  merely  pretexts  to 
cover  their  determined  purpose  to  retain  possession  of  the 
northwest.  The  reasons  for  this  purpose  were  apparent. 
It  gave  the  control  of  the  lucrative  fur  trade,  which  was  a 
virtual  monopoly  in  the  hands  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany and  the  merchants  of  Montreal.  The  representatives 
of  these  interests  in  London  were  in  close  touch  with  the 
British  government,  which  is  always  solicitous  for  the 
advancement  of  trade — a  nation's  chief  strength.  Tlie  reten- 
tion of  the  northwest  would  also  give  a  vantage  ground 
froim  which  to  renew  the  war  against  the  colonies.  The 
English  never  give  up  a  project  until  after  they  are  defeated, 
and  sometimes  not  then,  and  there  was  a  strong  sentiment 
at  home  that  this  territory  should  be  reclaimed  by  the 
mother  country.  Above  all  things  it  would  enable  the 
British  to  retain  the  support  of  the  Indians,  who  could 
be  depended  on  to  fight  England's  battles  in  the  event  of 
war.  That  this  object  was  not  only  entertained,  but  that 
it  succeeded,  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  Indians  of 
the  west,  in  the  American  territory,  were  the  allies  of  the 
British  in  the  war  of  18 12. 

^    8f 


Tti  this  struj^-glc  iMigland's  savage  contingent  coniniittcd 
sonu"  of  the  must  devihsh  atrocities  in  the  annals  of  so-called 
civili7,e<l  warfare. 

AN    ATROCIOUS    POLICY. 

There  is  also  danniing  evidence  that  the  English  incited 
the  Indians  against  the  American  white  settlers,  and  were 
responsible  for  the  most  horrible  crimes  against  men, 
women  and  children.  It  is  shown  by  official  records  that 
as  far  back  as  1791  the  redskins  were  being  urged  to 
violence  by  the  infamous  Simon  Girty  and  other  agents, 
and  that  under  Girty's  orders  they  assisted  in  bringing 
guns  to  Detroit  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the  Brit- 
ish position.  In  1793,  prompted  by  the  same  ix>wer  behind 
the  throne,  the  general  council  of  Indians  declared  that 
they  would  not  believe  that  the  United  States  intended  to 
do  them  justice  unless  it  was  agreed  that  Ohio  should  be 
the  boundary  line  between  the  Indian  territory  of  the 
no^rthwest.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  British  policy 
of  having  a  "bulifcr  state"  next  to  their  own  dominions  in 
America,  which  ooadd  be  controlled  in  the  British  interests. 
The  American  government  would  not  acquiesce  in  this 
proposition  to  alienate  the  northwest,  because  it  knew  that 
it  was  mspircd  by  Great  Britain. 

In  1794  Lieut.-Col.  England  was  in  correspondence  with 
Lieut.-Gov.  Simcoe,  of  Canada,  in  regard  to  the  Indian 
troubles.  Simcoe  had  sent  several  letters  to  the  Indian 
head  men,  and  his  statements  in  these  letters  were  repeated 
at  Montreal  and  were  aommimicated  to  the  United  States 
government.    The  letters  clearly   indicated  th^t,   whether 


with  or  without  authority  from  the  home  govermueiit,  Brit- 
ish officials  were  secretly  urging  the  liulians  to  continue 
their  warfare  against  the  Americans,  and  promising  that 
aid  and  comfort  would  be  furnished  the  former.  This  led 
to  a  diplomatic  correspondence  between  the  two  countries. 
Simcoe  denied  that  he  had  been  intriguing  in  tiiis  matter, 
and  asked  to  be  investigated.  An  investigation  was  held 
in  Montreal,  but  it  was  conducted  in  such  a  manner  that 
it  simply  covered  up  any  offenses  of  which  he  might  have 
been  guilty. 

Wayne's  Indian  campaign. 

About  this  time  Indian  Agent  McKee,  of  the  British 
forces,  notified  Lieut.-Col.  England  that  the  Delawares 
had  taken  the  scalps  of  six  American  infantry  at  a  point 
between  Forts  Washington  and  Hamilton,  and  that  these 
scalps  were  to  be  forwarded  to  the  lake  Indians  for  the 
purpose  of  inciting  them  against  the  United  States  troops. 
Nothing  was  done  to  prevent  or  discourage  this  scheme, 
and  it  had  the  sanction  and  guilty  knowledge  of  the  British 
officials.  This  was  of  special  significance,  because  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne  was  then  about  advancing  to  Jie  north- 
west, and  the  Indians  were  being  rallied  to  oppose  him. 

Gen.  Wayne  fortified  the  Glaize  and  planned  to  proceed 
thence  toward  Detroit,  despite  any  opposition  which  might 
be  encountered  as  the  result  of  Indian  plans  or  those  of 
the  English.  He  offered  $i,ooo  reward  for  the  scalp  of 
Simon  Girty,  the  cruel  but  capable  renegade.  These  facts 
gave  the  frontier  posts  an  excuse  for  strengthening  their 
position  on  the  pretext  that  they  feared  an  intent  on  the 


part  of  Wayne  to  invade  Canada.  They  had  further  apology 
for  this  course  l)ecause  one  Christopher  Aliller,  whose  char- 
acter was  not  above  suspicion,  made  oath  before  British 
officials  that  he,  at  the  request  of  Wayne,  had  told  the 
Indians  that  it  was  not  against  them,  but  against  the  Eng- 
lish, that  he  and  his  forces  were  moving,  and  that  he 
intended  to  drive  the  I'ritish  from  the  countrv. 


EASILY     CONVINCED. 

Upon  this  scant  and  unreliable  evidence  the  English 
officers  were  content  to  act.  Simcoe  pushed  the  construc- 
tion of  gunboats  on  the  Thames  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and 
urged  the  prompt  enlistment  of  additional  seamen  as  well 
as  land  forces. 

Xear  Fort  Miamis,  on  the  Alaumee,  in  the  vicinity  of 
where  Toledo  now  stands,  Wayne  vvhipped  the  Indians, 
who  had  concentrated  to  meet  him,  in  August.  1794.  The 
English  conunandant  at  the  fort  made  complaint  both  to 
his  superior  officer  and  to  W^ayne,  because  the  latter  had 
fought  within  range  of  the  guns  of  Fort  Miamis.  What 
the  English  chose  to  term  the  pretentious  reply  of  "  Mad 
Anthony  "  was  thoroughly  characteristic  of  die  man.  He 
practically  infonned  the  complainants  that  he  knew  his 
business  and  would  attend  to  it.  This  precipitated  a  hot 
correspondence  between  Wayne  and  Campbell,  the  latter 
being  in  coamnand  at  the  fort.  He  served  notice  on  the 
American  general  that  he  must  not  again  get  within  gun- 
shot of  the  fort  or  he  would  be  fired  upon.  * 


STRAINED    RELATIONS, 

These  facts  and  incidents  go  to  show  the  strained  rela- 
tions existing  and  how  easily  another  war  with  Britain 
might  have  been  brought  about.  In  the  meantime  our 
government  was  doing  everything  possible  to  bring  about 
by  peaceful  means,  a  compliance  with  the  treaty  of  1783. 
Not  only  were  diplomatic  means  employed  through  repre- 
sentatives in  England,  but  direct  communication  was  had 
with  Gen.  Haldimand,  Gen.  Campbell  and  other  command- 
ants, requesting  that  they  evacuate,  or  in  the  event  of 
failure  to  comply  at  once  that  they  specify  the  time  within 
which  they  w>Ciuld  yield  undisputed  possession  to  the  terri- 
tory held  under  their  adverse  control.  These  officials  tem- 
porized until  they  could  receive  authoritative  orders,  and 
they  were  invariably  to  the  effect  that  the  posts  be  held. 
Everything  went  to  show  that  Great  Britain  meant  if  possible 
to  retain  her  grip. 

PEACE    AT    LAST. 

It  was  while  affairs  bet\veen  the  two  powers  were  in 
this  critical  condition  that  John  Jay,  the  distmguished 
American  jurist  and  statesman,  was  sent  to  negotiate  the 
second  treaty  of  peace  made  necessary  by  the  policy  of 
non-compliance  persisted  in  by  the  English.  This  minister 
plenipotentiary  was  especially  well  equipped  for  the  delicate 
task.  He -had  been  president  of  congress,  was  the  first 
chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States, 
and  served  as  governor  of  New  York.  As  the  result  of 
his  official  negotiations  with  Great  Britain,  she  receded 
from  all  her  adverse  claims  in  this  country  and  agreed  to 
evacuate  all  the  posts  then  retained  by  June  1,  1796.    There 


was  a  disposition  in  some  quarters  to  criticise  the  Jay  treaty, 
but  it  is  tlie  testimony  of  Lord  St.  Helens  tliat  Jay  was 
not  only  chiefly  but  wholly  the  means  by  which  it  was 
brought  to  a  successful  conclusion.  It  was  under  the  pro- 
visions of  this  treaty  that  Col.  Hamtramck  first  took  charge 
of  Fort  Miamis  and  a  few  days  afterwards  assumed  coi  - 
mand  at  Detroit. 

JOHN    FRANCIS   HAMTRAMCK. 

No  name  of  that  time  is  better  known  in  Detroit  than 
that  of  Hamtramck,  and  a  brief  review  of  his  record  shows 
that  he  was  born  in  Canada  in  1757,  and  died  in  this  city 
in  1803.  He  commenced  his  distinguished  service  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  as  captain  of  Dubois'  New  York  regi- 
ment, and  before  he  died  was  commissioned  a  colonel. 
He  especially  distinguished  himself  as  commander  of 
Wayne's  left  wing  in  the  battle  with  the  Indians  near 
Fort  Miamis,  as  above  described.  He  was  not  only  a  great 
soldier,  but  a  man  of  marked  ability  in  other  directions. 
His  officers  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem  and  erected  a 
monument  to  his  memory  on  the  grounds  of  St,  Anne's 
church.  When  the  burial  ground  was  discontinued  his 
remains  were  removed,  and  now  lie  in  the  Elliott  lot  in  Mt. 
Elliott  cemetery. 

Two  years  after  taking  command  here  Col.  Hamtramck 
had  a  son,  who  also  distinguished  himself.  When  but  16 
years  old  he  was  with  Zachary  Taylor's  expedition  up  the 
Mississippi.  They  had  a  severe  engagement  with  the 
Indians  and  British  ofif  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  111.  The 
lad  showed  his  fighting  blood  ir.  a  way  to  excite  general 
admiration,  and  the  reward  was  a  gratification  of  his  desire 

m 


to  enter  West  Point.  He  served  with  distinction  throughout 
the  Mexican  war  and  afterwards  became  a  planter  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

So  far  as  the  Hves  of  those  who  comprised  the  people 
of  Detroit  was  concerned,  the  evacuation  made  but  little 
difference,  although  the  change  gave  an  impetus  to  the 
growth  of  its  business  as  well  as  of  its  population.  Though 
Gen.  St.  Clair  was  appointed  governor,  he  never  came  here, 
and  Winthrop  Sargent  acted  in  that  capacity.  Wayne 
county  was  organized,  and  had  dimensions  to  warm  the 
cockles  in  the  heart  of  the  latter  day  politician.  It  included 
all  the  present  state  of  Michigan,  the  eastern  half  of  Wis- 
consin, and  large  portions  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Ohio. 
This  modest  county  took  in  what  is  now  Chicago,  Toledo 
and  Cleveland  as  far  east  as  the  Cuyahoga  River. 


THE  WALK  IN  THE  WATER. 
From  .in  Engraving  in  Possession  of  C.  M.  Burton. 


87 


THE    HOIS   BLANC    DISPUTE. 

Tliere  came  upon  the  village  the  shadow  of  another  war 
when  Lieut.-Gov.  Simcoe  began  to  fortify  Bois  Blanc  island 
under  the  claim  that  there  was  an  intent  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans  to  take  possession  of  it.  On  the  protest  of  this 
government  he  was  commanded  to  desist,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  ownership  abided  the  negotiations  which  followed. 
Under  the  treaty  that  had  been  ratified,  the  boundary  line 
between  the  American  and  British  possessions  in  this  country 
was  to  follow  the  line  of  the  deepest  channels  of  the  waters 
dividing  the  two  countries.  This  prevented  all  dispute  until 
Bois  Blanc  was  reached  on  the  route  from  the  east.  Here 
there  was  a  long  controversy,  for  a  strict  construction  of 
the  treaty  would  have  given  the  island  to  America  and 
left  the  Canadians  a  comparatively  narrow  strip  of  water 
at  that  point.  Gen.  Cass  insisted  that  the  island  belonged 
to  this  country,  and  so  urged  upon  Henry  Clay,  then  secre- 
tary of  state.  But  the  latter  appears  to  have  been  moved 
by  a  strained  sense  of  equity  and  made  the  concession.  For 
this  he  was  severely  censured  in  congress  and  by  the  country 
at  large.  ■  i 

DEFEATED    LAND    GRABS. 

In  1795,  while  the  two  nations  were  q  barreling  about 
the  sovereignty  of  the  northwest,  and  when  the  clear- 
headed British  citizens  were  beginning  to  realize  that  the 
territory  would  inevitably  pass  under  the  dominion  of  the 
United  States,  several  big  land  grabs  were  planned  by 
citizens  of  Detroit,  who  were  British  sympathizers.  These 
grabs    seemed   to   have   been    conceived   with   a   view  to 

88 


acquiring  tlii  lands  by  private  ownership  after  the  British 
sovereignty  over  them  had  ceased.  ( )ne  of  them  was 
conceived  in  the  mind  of  a  Dr.  Robert  Randall,  and  it 
contemplated  the  securing  to  private  ownership  20,000,000 
acres  of  land,  comprising  the  entire  lower  peninsula  of 
Michigan,  with  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  The 
plot  was  far  reaching,  for  Randall  had  interested  in  the 
northwest  such  men  as  John  Askin,  John  Askin,  Jr.,  Robert 
Innes,  William  Robertson,  David  Robertson  and  Jonathan 
Scheiffelin.  There  were  also  partners  manipulating  the 
scheme  at  Philadelphia,  then  the  seat  of  government.  Some 
distinguished  men  of  New  England  were  also  involved,  and 
members  of  congress  were  on  the  ground  floor.  Their 
petition  offered  the  government  $500,000  for  the  land. 

OFFERED    AN    INDUCEMENT. 

An  additional  inducement  held  out  to  the  government 
for  the  confirmation  of  the  titles  was  the  claim  that  the 
Indians  within  the  territory  ceded  would  be  kept  quiet 
by  its  owners.  Just  how  they  expected  to  control  the  sav- 
ages does  not  appear  in  the  developments  made,  but  this 
proflfer  w^as  in  keeping  with  the  rest  of  the  swindling  oper- 
ation. Congressmen  were  to  be  bribed  with  stock  and 
promoters  were  to  be  generously  cared  for. 

But  the  enterprise  was  destined  to  failure.  On  Decem- 
ber 28,  1795,  Hon.  William  Smith,  member  of  congress 
from  Virginia,  arose  and  calmly  exposed  the  whole  con- 
spiracy, stating  openly  that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to 
bribe  him  by  Randall.  Murray,  of  Maryland,  and  Giles, 
of  Virginia,  announced  that  like  infamous  proposals  had 

% 


been  made  tx>  them,  as  did  James  Madison  and  others. 
Randall  and  Whitney,  of  Vermont,  were  placed  unde." 
arrest  and  held  for  nearly  a  month  while  cor^  ess  had  the 
matter  under  discussion.  There  were  also  civil  arrests  made 
at  the  request  of  President  Washington.  But  there  were 
so  many  men  of  influence  implicated  that  the  investigations 
were  whitewash  affairs,  and  the  conspirators  escaped  with 
the  ignominy  they  had  brought  upon  themselves. 

About  the  same  time  John  Askin  and  his  associates  had 
conceived  several  other  colossal  land  grabbing  schemes. 
The  territory  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River  and  Sandusky,  a  distance 
of  59  miles,  and  running  back  an  equal  distance,  making 
a  tract  of  about  2,400,000  acres,  was  held  by  the  Indians. 
By  promises  of  rum,  guns,  money,  etc.,  34  chiefs  were 
induced  to  affix  their  totems  to  a  deed  conveying  the  tract 
to  this  syndicate.  Askin  also  engaged  in  a  similar  trans- 
action by  which  he  acquired  an  Indian  title  to  a  large 
tract  on  the  Maumee  River.  For  pressing  these  claims  John 
Askin,  Jr.,  was  arrested  at  Greenville  by  the  American 
authorities,  and  was  in  jail  a  short  time.  Of  course  the 
claims  were  not  allowed  by  the  government,  and  the  deeds 
are  valuable  only  as  historical  curiosities. 

A  traveler's  description. 

Isaac  Weld  made  a  tour  of  the  states  and  Canada  in 
1795-6,  and  in  1799  published  a  book,  as  most  travelers 
did  in  that  day.  He  visited  Detroit  in  October,  1796,  three 
months  after  the  evacuation  of  the  town  by  the  British,  and 


90 


his  description  of  the  town  is  of  interest  at  this  time,  the 
centennial  of  the  American   possession. 

"Detroit  contains  about  300  houses,''  he  wrote,  "and  is 
the  largest  town  in  the  western  country.  It  stands  con- 
tiguous to  the  river,  on  the  top  of  the  banks,  which  are 
here  about  20  feet  high.  At  the  bottom  of  them  there 
are  very  ext  'nsive  wharfs  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
shipping,  built  of  wood,  similar  to  those  in  the  Atlantic 
seaports.  The  town  consists  of  several  streets  that  run 
parallel  to  the  river,  which  are  intersected  by  others  at  right 
angles.  They  are  all  very  narrow,  and  not  being  paved, 
dirty  in  the  extreme  whenever  it  happens  to  rain;  for  the 
accommodation  of  passengers,  however,  there  are  footways 
in  most  of  them,  formed  of  square  logs,  laid  traversely 
close  to  each  other. 

"The  town  is  surrounded  by  a  strong  stockade,  through 
which  there  are  four  gates,  two  of  them  open  to  the  wharfs, 
and  the  two  others  to  the  north  and  south  side  of  the 
town  respectively.  The  gates  are  defended  by  strong  olock- 
houses,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  is  a  small  fort  in 
form  of  a  square,  with  bastions  at  the  angles.  At  each 
of  the  corners  of  this  fort  is  planted  a  small  field  piece, 
and  these  constitute  the  whole  of  the  ordnance  at  present 
in  the  place.  The  British  kept  a  considerable  train  of 
artillery  here,  but  the  place  was  never  capable  of  holding 
out  for  any  length  of  time  against  a  regular  force ;  the  forti- 
fications, indeed,  were  constructed  chiefly  as  a  defense 
against  the  Indians. 


9^ 


TROOPS    UNDISCIPLINED. 

"Detroit  is  at  present  the  headquarters  oi  the  western 
army  of  the  states;  the  garrison  consists  of  300  men,  who 
are  quartered  in  barracks.  \'ery  Httle  attention  is  paid 
by  the  officers  to  the  minutia  of  di- cipHne,  so  that  however 
well  the  men  may  have  accjuitted  themselves  in  the  field, 
they  make  but  a  poor  appearance  on  parade. 

"The  belles  of  the  town  are  quite  uu  desespoir  at  the  late 
departure  of  the  British  troops,  diough  the  American  officers 
tell  them  they  have  no  reason  to  be  so,  as  they  will  lind 
iiiem  much  more  sensible  and  agreeable  men  than  tlie  Brit- 
ish officers  when  they  know  them,  a  style  of  conversation, 
which,  strange  as  it  may  appear  to  us,  is  yet  not  at  all 
uncommon  amongst  them.  Three  months,  however,  have 
not  altered  the  first  opinion  of  the  ladies. 

"I  cannot  better  give  you  an  idea  of  the  unpolished, 
coarse,  discordant  manners  of  the  generality  of  the  olHicers 
of  the  western  anny  of  the  states  than  by  telling  yoti  thdt 
they  cannot  agree  sufficiently  amongst  themselves  to  form 
a  regimental  mess;  repeated  attempts  have  been  made  since 
their  arrival  at  Detroit  to  establish  cue,  but  their  freqaent 
(|uarrels  would  never  sufifer  it  to  remain  permanent.  A 
duelist  and  an  officer  of  the  western  army  were  nearly 
synonymous  terms,  at  one  time,  in  the  United  States, 
owing  to  the  very  great  number  of  duels  that  took  place 
amongst  them  when  cantoned  at  Greenville. 


92 


THE   town's   inhabitants. 


"About  two-thirds  of  the  inhabitants  of  Detroit  are  of 
I'Vench  extraction,  and  the  j^reater  part  of  the  inhabitants 
f)f  the  settlements  on  the  river,  both  above  and  belovv'  the 
town,  arc  of  the  same  description.  The  former  are  mostly 
eng^agcd  in  trade,  and  they  all  ajjpear  to  be  much  on  an 
c(|uality.  Detroit  is  a  place  of  very  considerable  trade; 
there  arc  no  less  than  12  tradinp^  vessels,  belonging  to  it, 
brigs,  sloops  and  schooners,  of  from  50  to  100  tons  burden 
each.  The  inland  navigation  in  this  (|uarter  is  indeed  vety 
extensive,  Lake  Erie,  300  miles  in  length,  being  open  to 
vessels  belonging  to  the  port,  on  the  one  side,  and  Lakes 
Michigan  and  Huron,  the  first  upwards  of  200  miles  in 
length  and  50  in  breadth,  and  the  second  no  less  than  i,OGO 
miles  in  circumference,  on  the  opposite  side;  not  to  speak 
of  Lake  St.  Clair  and  Detroit  River,  which  connect  these 
former  lakes  together,  or  of  the  many  large  rivers  which 
fiill  into  them.  The  stores  and  shops  in  the  town  are  well 
furnished,  and  you  may  buy  fine  cloth,  linen,  etc.,  and 
every  article  of  wearing  apparel,  as  good  in  their  kind,  and 
nearly  on  as  reasonable  terms,  as  you  can  purchase  them 
at  New  York  or  Philadelphia. 

SHORTAGE    OK    SALT. 

"The  iidiabitants  are  well  supplied  with  provisions  of 
evef}'^  description;  the  fish  in  particular,  caught  in  the  river 
and  neighboring  lakes,  are  of  a  very  superior  quality.  The 
fish  held  in  most  estimation  is  a  sort  of  large  trout,  called 
the    Michilimackinac    whitefish,    from    its    being    caught 

93 


mostly  in  the  straits  of  that  name.  The  inhabitants  of 
Detroit  and  the  neip^hhorin^  country,  however,  though  they 
have  provisions  in  plenty,  are  frecpiently  much  distressed 
for  one  very  necessary  concomitant,  namely,  salt.  Until 
within  a  short  time  past  they  had  no  salt  but  what  was 
brought  from  Europe;  but  salt  springs  have  been  discov- 
ered in  various  parts  of  the  country,  from  which  they  are 
now  beginning  to  manufacture  that  article  for  themselves. 
The  best  and  most  profitable  of  the  springs  are  retained  in 
the  hands  of  the  government,  and  the  profits  arising  from 
the  sale  of  the  salt  are  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the 
province.  Throughout  the  western  country  they  procure 
their  salt  from  springs,  some  of  which  throw  up  sufficient 
water  to  yield  several  hundred  bushels  in  the  course  of  one 
week. 

DAUGHTERS    FOR   SALE. 

"There  is  a  large  Roman  Catholic  church  in  the  town 
of  Detroit,  and  another  on  the  opposite  side  called  the 
Huron  church,  from  its  having  l>een  devoted  to  the  use 
of  the  Huron  Indians.  The  streets  of  Detroit  are  gener- 
ally crowded  with  Indians  of  one  tribe  or  another,  and 
amongst  them  you  see  numberless  old  squaws  leading  about 
their  daughters,  ever  ready  to  dispose  of  them,  pro  tem- 
pore, to  the  highest  bidder.  At  night  all  the  Indians, 
except  such  as  get  admittance  into  pri'^ate  houses,  and 
remain  there  quietly,  are  turned  out  of  town,  and  the  gates 
shut  upon  them. 

"The  American  officers  here  have  endeavored  to  their 
utmost  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  Indians  an  idea 


of  their  own  superiority  over  the  British ;  but  as  they  are 
very  tardy  in  jfivinj;  these  people  any  presents,  they  do 
not  pay  much  attention  to  their  words.  Gen.  Wayne,  from 
continually  promisinK"  them  presents,  but  at  the  same  time 
always  postponinjj  the  delivery  when  they  come  to  ask 
for  them,  has  sij^niticantly  been  nicknamed  by  them  Gen. 
Wabantj,    that   is    (ien.    Tomorrow.     *     'f     * 

"The  country  round  Detroit  is  unoonnnonly  Hat,  and 
in  none  of  the  rivers  is  there  a  fall  sufficient  to  turn  even 
a  grist  mill.  The  current  ^of  the  Detroit  River  itself  is 
stronger  than  that  of  any  of  them,  and  a  floating  mill  was 
once  invented  by  a  Frenchman,  which  was  chained  in  the 
middle  of  the  river,  where  it  was  thought  the  stream  would 
be  sufficiently  swift  tio  turn  the  waterwheel;  the  building 
of  it  was  attended  by  considerable  expense  to  the  inhabi- 
tants, ))ut  after  it  was  finished  it  by  no  means  answered 
their  expectations.  They  grind  their  com  at  present  by 
windmills,  which  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  in  any 
other  part  of  North  America." 


H 


THE  HRST  FAMILIES  OF  DETROIT. 

(From  the  Detroit  |o«rnal.  July  11.  1896.) 

Dt'troit  is  rctuarkahly  fortunate  in  the  number  of  its  old 
families  which  are  still  flourishini^  and  prominent  in  the 
business  interests  of  the  city.  Many  <A  these  are  sprung 
from  the  most  inHuential  families  of  the  old  world,  and 
one,  at  least,  the  Navarre,  is  sprung  from  a  race  of  kings. 
This  name  appears  no  more  in  Detroit  records,  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  represented  only  upon  the  mother's  side. 
The  founders  of  several  of  these  families  are  known  to  have 
come  with  Cadillac;  and  the  founder  of  one,  in  fact,  is 
fabled  to  have  been  here  already  and  to  have  been  one  of 
the  Indian  traders  who  met  Cadillac  on  the  banks  of  the 
Detroit.  All  have  been  e(|ually  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  our  home,  and  from  the  earli:"st  times  their  members 
have  appeared  on  the  side  of  whatever  was  most  for  the 
interest  of  their  community. 

To  one  family  especially  we  are  indebted  for  brave 
acts,  and  here  and  there  a  life  lost  in  war  with  Indians; 
to  another  for  many  of  our  first  buildings.  I£ach  family 
displays  some  characteristic  which  marks  it  in  every  gener- 
ation. To  all  we  are  indebted  for  the  same  loyalty  and 
energy.  As  time  has  passed,  younger  generations  of  these 
same  families  have  carried  on  the  work  of  their  fathers, 
and  have  maintained  the  same  standing  in  public  affairs. 
For  today,  as  150  years  ago,  many  of  the  same  names  are 
prominent  and  influential. 


96 


m 


3 
S3 


u 


c 
o 


00       o 

z     - 


f- 

O 
Qi 

UJ 

Q 


£ 

o 


c 
O 


One  family,  as  has  been  said  above,  is  claimed  to  have 
been  here  before  Cadillac  in  1701.  A  few  were  founded 
in  the  first  ten  years  after  his  arrival,  five  or  six  in  the 
period  of  reviving  prosperity  after  the  depression  of  171 5; 
but  the  greatest  number  came  to  the  city  between  this  time 
and  1/60.  From  this  time  on  to  the  end  of  the  century, 
the  period  of  activity,  this  score  of  families,  bound  together 
by  marriage  and  friendship  and  the  common  object  of 
securing  the  best  results  for  our  city  in  every  difficulty, 
were  the  leading  factors  in  the  control  and  the  history  of 
the  town. 

Living  in  a  small  stockade,  and  bound  by  the  ties  of 
a  common  danger  and  common  amusements,  these  families, 
representing  the  influential  and  aristocratic  part  of  the 
colony,  intermarried  to  such  an  extent  that  there  is  scarcely 
one  of  the  original  names  which  has  not,  as  a  part  of  it, 
several  of  the  others.  By  reason  of  this  intermarrying 
and  the  lack  of  male  heirs,  nearly  half  of  the  original  names 
no  longer  appear  in  public  records. 

Another  reason  that  one  recognizes  today  so  few  of  the  old 
French  names  is  that  as  the  town  came  under  English  and 
American  influence  the  French  names  were  frequently  trans- 
lated. Still  another  reason  is  the  great  number  of  names  a 
Frenchman  had,  and  his  inconsistency  in  using  them.  For 
instance,  the  founder  of  Detroit,  whose  name  in  full  was 
"Antoine  de  la  Mothe  Cadillac,"  usually  signed  himself  "La- 
mothe  Cadillac,"  but  often  he  is  found  in  records  as  "Antoine 
Lamothe,"  "La  Mothe"  or  "La  Motte." 


97 


But  the  most  important  reason  is  thau  the  old  inhabitants, 
Hving  so  much  in  common  with  the  Indians,  and  conse- 
quently ac(|uiring-  many  of  their  customs,  gave  names  to 
each  other,  describing-  some  well  known  trait  in  their  charac- 
ter, or  some  incident  in  their  life,  and  these  nicknames  often 
superseded  the  true  ones. 

Although  there  are  few  definite  records  to  be  found  as  to 
the  early  grants,  it  is  probable  that  as  each  bona  fide  settler 
came  to  Detroit  he  received  from  the  commandant  a  grant 
of  four  arpents,  nearly  equal  to  three  and  a  half  of  our  acres. 
The  order  of  their  establishment  is  as  a  general  fact  shown 
in  the  position  of  their  farms,  the  oldest  families  holding 
those  nearest  the  heart  of  the  present  city,  or,  as  it  was  then, 
nearest  the  stockade.  Nearly  all  of  these  farms  bordered 
on  the  river  and  the  original  positions  of  many  of  them  is 
preserved  in  the  manner  of  the  streets  running  through  them 
at  right  angles  tO'  the  river. 

Owing  to  neglect  in  the  arranging  of  other  details,  Cadil- 
lac was  not  vested  with  the  power  to  make  grants  when  he 
founded  the  city.  In  fact,  he  did  not  receive  the  legal  right 
before  1705.  though  farms  were  allotted  to  the  settlers  long 
before  that.  The  conditions  of  some  of  these  king's  grants 
were  curious  enough.  In  one,  made  by  Cadillac  in  1707,  the 
grantee,  or  one  who  received  the  farm,  was  bound  to  pay 
rent  of  ?bout  $3  a  year  to  the  king.  He  was  bound  to  begin 
clearing  his  land  before  three  months  from  the  time  he  re- 
ceived it.  All  timber  such  as  could  be  used  for  fortifications 
or  vessels  was  reserved  for  the  government.  The  privilege 
of  huiiting  rabbits,  i)artridges  and  all  small  game  was  re- 
served to  the  grantor,  Cadillac.     The  grantee  was  bound  to 


help  raise  on  the  first  day  of  May  of  each  year  a  long  May- 
pole before  the  door  of  the  principal  manor  house.  All  the 
grain  was  ground  at  the  manor  mill  and  a  fixed  price  was 
paid  for  grinding.  A  tax  was  to  be  collected  for  the  king  on 
every  transfer  of  the  land,  and  before  a  sale  the  tenant  must 
give  the  authorities  notice,  so  that  should  the  government 
be  willing  to  pay  the  price  offered  by  the  would-be  purchaser, 
it  should  have  the  option  of  buying.  The  grantee  was  abso- 
lutely forbidden  to  sell  or  trade  intoxicating  liquors  to  the 
Indians.  He  was  bound  to  make  his  fences  in  a  specified 
manner,  and,  if  called  upon,  to  help  in  the  constriction  of 
his  neighbor's,  and  he  was  also  bound  to  peniiit  such  roads 
upon  his  land  as  were  deemed  necessary  for  the  public  good. 
By  the  terms  of  this  grant,  it  is  quite  evident  that  the 
government  intended  the  commandant  to  be  master. 


THE  CAMPAU  HOUSE  ON  JEFFERSON  AVENUE. 

One  has  only  to  be  an  observer  to  learn  how  well  the 
Campau  family  preserves  its  prestige.  It  was  founded  in 
Detroit  in  1707  and  1708  by  Michel  and  Jacques.  The  fam- 
ily still  hold  the  greater  part  of  their  original  grant,  and  in 


99 


the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  it  has  become  exceedingly  valu- 
able and  was,  a  few  years  ago,  one  of  the  two  most  valuable 
estates. 

The  Godfroy  family  is  sprung  from  a  race  that  was  in  the 
17th  century,  second  only  to  royalty.  One  of  their  ancestors 
was  secretary  of  state  and  syndic  of  the  French  republic. 
The  founder  in  Detroit  was  Pierre  Godefroy,  as  it  was  then 
spelled,  who  came  in  1715.  He  and  his  immediate  descend- 
ants had  heavy  interests  in  the  Canadian  fur  trade.  Pierre's 
line  died  out  and  the  real  founder  was  Jacques,  who  came 
shortly  after  his  kinsman.  His  scm  Jacques  figured  prom- 
inently in  the  Pontiac  war.  After'  his  attempted  treachery, 
Pontiac  tried  to  regain  the  confidence  of  the  commander, 
Maj.  Gladwin,  by  asking  for  a  conference.  Tlie  officer, 
while  granting  the  request  for  a  parley,  relaxed  none  of  his 
vigilance.  He  sent  Jacques  Godfroy  and  Jean  Chapoion. 
Nothing  being  accomplished,  the  chief  threw  off  his  mask 
of  friendliness  and  made  an  open  attack  uiwn  the  fort. 
'  This  family  has  so  intermarried  with  the  other  pioneer 
families  that  the  greater  number  of  its  members  living  now 
are  enrolled  under  other  families. 


Alexander  Chapoton,  Jr.,  is  the  best  known  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  this  family  living  here.  The  family  was 
founded  before  1720  by  Jean,  the  second  physician  of  Fort 
Pontchartrain.  For  40  years  he  held  this  commission  for 
the  French  government,  and  retiring  a  few  years  before  the 
surrender  to  the  English,  settled  on  his  grant.  That  he  held 
the  interests  of  the  settlement  dearest  to  his  heart  is  evident 


lOQ 


in  the  fact  that  he  gave  to  the  colony  20  children.  One  of 
these,  Jean  Baptiste,  was  the  companion  of  Jacques  Gode- 
froy  at  his  unsuccessful  parley  with  Pontiac. 

The  founder  of  the  Navarre  family  was  distantly  related 
to  Henry  IV.,  the  line  being  unbroken  from  the  Duke  de 
Vendomc,  Henry's  father.  Robert  Navarre  came  to  Detroit 
in  the  office  of  royal  notary  some  time  before  1734,  at  which 
time  he  is  known  to  have  married.  The  branch  is  still  pre- 
served through  the  mother's  side  in  many  of  our  most  promi- 
nent families  today. 

Zacharie  Chiquot  was  the  founder  in  1736  of  the  Cicotte — 
as  it  is  now  spelled — family.  This  family  was  famous  in  the 
early  days  for  the  fine  collection  of  silver  plate  in  its  posses- 
sion. Remnants  of  this  fine  property  are  still  owned  by  the 
descendants. 

About  a  large  family  whose  early  members  were  hardy 
and  adventurous,  there  necessarily  hang  many  traditions, 
part  truth  and  part  imagination.  Told  from  generation  to 
generation  as  they  have  been,  and  interwoven  with  the  weird 
superstitions  of  the  red  men  and  pioneers,  these  stories  have 
reached  us  as  pure  legends.  It  is  related  of  Jean,  son  of 
the  founder  Zacharie,  that,  at  one  time,  when  by  royal  edict, 
liquor  had  been  forbidden  to  be  sold  or  traded  to  the  Indians, 
and  they,  in  consequence,  had  threatened  to  sell  their  fine 
winter's  gathering  of  furs  to  the  English,  he  was  sent  secretly 
by  De  Tonty,  the  commandant,  with  the  purpose  of  intoxi- 
cating the  natives,  and  then  buying  their  furs.  His  errand 
was  successful,  but  as  he  was  returning  to  the  fort  he  was 
set  upon  by  goblins  and  the  Loup-Garou,  the  devil  in  the 
form  of  a  wolf,  and  his  ill-gotten  load  taken  from  him.    This 


101 


family  is  no  longer  represented  under  the  same  name  in 
Detroit. 

The  Barthe  family  is  represented  still  in  Detroit  by  Mrs. 
Richard  Storrs  Willis,  though  the  name  itself  was  lost  by 
marriage  two  generations  ago.  Founded  some  time  before 
1747  in  the  last  of  the  same  century,  it  was  large  and  flour- 
ishing. 

The  Dubois  family  was  founded  in  several  branches  at  dif- 
ferent times  before  1750.  Though  well  known  up  to  the  last 
generation,  the  representatives  now  in  Detroit  are  few. 


The  Baby  family,  though  in  its  early  generation  closely 
connected  vAth  our  city's  history,  has  in  the  last  half  of  a 
century  rather  died  out  in  Detroit,  the  greater  number  living 
in  Canada,  where  it  is  still  represented  in  the  first  ranks  of 
every  vocation.  Its  founder  in  Detroit  was  Jacques  Du- 
peron  Baby,  who  arrived  before  1760.  His  name  figures 
prominently  in  the  siege  of  Pontiac. 

The  Moran  family  are  now,  as  they  were  when  the  founder 
of  the  name,  Charles  Morand  Grimard,  was  first  mentioned 
in  Ste.  Anne's  records,  in  1706,  active  and  influential.  The 
family  is  scattered  throughout  Canada.  Before  the  division 
among  his  sons,  at  the  death  of  Judge  Charles  Moran,  the 
estate  left  was  the  third  largest  in  Detroit. 

One  branch  of  the  Moran  family  was  distinctly  related  to 
the  wife  of  Cadillac.  It  is  told  how,  long  ago,  Jacques 
Morand,  as  the  name  was  spelled  then,  met  and  loved  the 
daughter  of  an  Indian  trader  who  pitched  his  camp  with  the 
Indians  on  the  shore  of  Lake  St.  Clair.  But  the  maiden  was 
already  consecrated  to  her  God.     She  had  long  wish-jd  to 


102 


enter  a  convent,  and  the  wish  had  just  l)een  granted.  This 
only  served  to  madden  her  lover,  who,  at  the  price  of  his 
soul,  assumed  the  form  of  the  Loup-Garou,  the  piiantom 
wolf.  In  this  form  he  persuaded  the  pious  girl,  who  saved 
herself  by  a  prayer  which  turned  the  monster  to  stone. 

These  nine  are  the  families  still  most  influential  in  our 
city,  but  there  were  many  others,  including  the  Beaufait, 
Chene,  Beaubien,  De  Quindre,  Desnoyers,  Gamelin,  Maran- 
tay,  Rivard  and  St.  Aubin,  which  were  in  the  early  days  influ- 
ential and  public-spirited,  but  which  have  either  died  out  or 
married  under  new  names  in  the  last  few  generations. 


EARLY  DETROIT. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  11, 1896,) 
Sheldon's  "Early  liistory  of  Michigan"  says  that  Fort 
Pontchartrain,  built  by  Cadillac  in  1701,  was  about  the  size 
of  the  city  square,  and  occupied  the  ground  from  Jefferson 
avenue  to  Woodbridge  street,  which  was  then  the  water's 
edge,  and  from  the  Cooper  block  on  the  east  (T.  A.  AIcGraw 
&  Co.),  to  a  little  west  of  the  old  Michigan  Exchange,  now 
Pingree  &  Smith's. 

At  the  time  of  Pontiac's  conspiracy,  in  1763,  the  fortifica- 
tions had  been  greatly  extended,  and  the  entire  town  was 
within  the  palisades.  This  inclosure  extended  from  where 
now  is  Griswold  street  to  the  westerly  line  of  the  old  fort; 
from  the  river  to  where  now  is  the  alley  between  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Larned  street,  the  inclosed  space  being  about 
1,200  yards  in  circumference.  The  east  entrance  was  called 
Pontiac's  gate,  after  the  conspiracy.  Ste.  Anne  street  was 
about  at  the  south  line  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Ste.  Anne's 
church  stood  on  the  north  side.     On  the  south  side  there 

103 


was  a  large  military  garden,  in  which  stood  a  Llock  house. 
Here  the  officers  met  for  consultation,  and  here  the  Indian 
councils  were  held.  The  church  and  the  block  house  were 
the  only  public  buildings  in  the  town. 

When  the  Americans  marched  into  the  inclosure  loo  years 
ago,  the  eastern  boundary  had  been  extended  up  the  line  of 
Griswold  street  across  the  Savoyard  creek  to  about  the  north 
line  of  Congress  street,  and  there  ran  oil  westwardly  to  the 
southeastern  angle  of  Fort  Lernoult,  or  Shelby,  as  it  was 
thereafter  called,  this  angle  being  south  of  Fort  street  .md 
east  of  Shelby.  The  western  boundary  was  at  Cass  street, 
and  crooked  eastwardly  to  intersect  the  western  angle  of  the 
fort,  giving  the  town  a  somewhat  triangular  form. 

The  first  settlers  were  French,  and  they  had  intemiarried 
with  the  Indians.  During  British  dominion  here  a  few  Eng- 
lish and  Scotch  families  came  in  and  took  up  grants  of  land 
along  the  river.  By  1796  all  these  had  become  prosperous. 
They  owned  large  numbers  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  and 
raised  all  the  grain  their  necessities  required.  This  was 
groimd  in  the  old  French  windmills,  one  being  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Savoyard,  and  a  second  one  at  the  Rouge. 
The  women  did  not  know  how  to  spin  or  weave,  and  the 
fleeces  from  the  sheep  were  used  to  cover  cellar  windows, 
and  for  other  like  purposes. 

The  vexatious  cartwheel  plan  that  has  the  Campus  Mar- 
tins and  Grand  Circus  for  its  hubs,  was  the  work  of  Judge 
Woodward,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  axle.  September  8, 
1806,  he  submitted  a  bill  for  the  incorporation  of  Detroit  as 
a  city.  It  was  passed  on  the  13th  and  entitled  "An  act  con- 
cerning the  city  of  Detroit."    Two  days  later  the  first  bank 


104 


of  Detroit  was  incorporated,  but  congress  revoked  its  charter 
in  1809.  The  bank  buikHng  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  street,  and  the  directors  paid 
$395-75  for  the  lot.  - 


Tn  laying  out  the  new  city,  Ste.  Anne  street  was  widened 
and  became  Jeflferson  avenue.  The  site  of  Ste.  Anne's 
church  was  in  the  middle  of  it.  Fr.  Gabriel  Richard,  vicar- 
general  of  the  order  of  Sulpitians,  asked  the  governor  and 
judges  to  allot  a  new  site,  and  a  site  for  an  academy  for  boys. 
At  the  same  time  Angelique  Campau  and  Elizabeth  Will- 
iams, nuns,  sent  in  a  petition  for  a  lot  upon  which  to  erect 
an  academy  for  girls.  For  these  purposes  the  land  on  the 
south  side  of  East  and  West  avenue  (Cadillac  square),  be- 
tween Bates  and  Randolph  streets,  to  Lamed  street,  was 
given.  In  1807  the  Protestants  asked  for  a  lot  upon  which 
to  build  a  church,  and  the  northeast  corner  of  Woodward 
avenue  and  Earned  street  was  given. 

In  1806  the  second  Indian  conspiracy  for  the  destruction 
of  Detroit  was  hatched.  Tecumseh  and  his  brother,  Ellsh- 
watawa  (the  Prophet),  encouraged  by  the  British,  sowed  dis- 
affection amongst  the  Wyandots  and  other  tribes  near  De- 
troit, and  in  1807  matters  became  so  threatening  that  the 
governor  ordered  the  inhabited  portion  of  the  new  city  to  be 
inclosed  with  a  strong  stockade.  The  eastern  boundary  of 
this  stockade  was  at  Brush  street,  and  the  western  was  near 
Cass  street.  There  was  a  gate  at  Brush  and  Atwater  streets, 
and  a  block-house  just  east  of  the  Biddle  House.  The  west- 
ern gate  was  on  JefTerson  avenue,  about  100  feet  west  of 
Cass  street.     About  the  time  the  palisade  was  completed 


105 


Hull  efifccted  a  treaty  witli  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Potta- 
wattomies  and  Wyandots;  rcciiniseli  and  his  Shawanese 
were  left  alone,  and  the  conspiracy  was  at  an  end. 


CAPTIVE  WHITE  BOY  STOLEN  BY  INDIANS  IN  OHIO 
AND  BROUGHT  TO  MICHIGAN. 

(From  the  Detroit  journal,  July  11,  1696.) 

In  1793,  O.  M.  Spencer,  then  a  lad  of  12,  in  after  years  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  while  at  play  with  other  boys  near 
Cincinnati,  was  taken  captive  by  a  prowling  band  of  Miami 
Indians  and  brought  to  their  village  near  the  present  site  of 
Fort  Wayne.  His  parents  sought  the  assistance  of  Gen. 
Washington,  and  at  his  request  Gen.  Simcoe,  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in  the  northwest,  directed  Col. 
England,  then  in  command  at  Detroit,  to  ransom  the  lad. 
This  was  done,  but  a  few  months  elapsed  before  he  could  be 
sent  to  Cincinnati,  "and  during  this  time  he  remained  with 
the  colonel  at  Fort  Lernoult. 

Even  at  that  age  young  Spencer  was  an  intelligent  and 
observing  lad,  and  kept  a  daily  journal  of  all  he  saw  and 
heard.  Subsequently  this  journal  was  published,  and  the 
following  is  the  boy's  description  of  Detroit  three  years  be- 
fore it  became  an  American  possession : 

"Detroit  is  a  small  town,  contains  only  wooden  buildings, 
but  few  of  which  are  well  furnished,  surrounded  by  high 
pickets  inclosing  an  area  of  probably  half  a  mile  square, 
about  one-third  of  which,  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  as  the 

106     - 


strait  is  called,  is  covered  with  houses.  There  are  four  nar- 
row streets  running  parallel  with  the  river,  and  intersected  by 
four  or  five  more  at  right  angles.  At  each  end  of  the  second 
street  is  an  entrance,  secured  by  heavy  wooden  gates.  North 
of  this  street,  at  the  west  end  of  the  town,  is  a  space  about 
200  feet  square,  inclosed  on  a  part  of  two  sides  with  palisades, 
within  which  a  row  of  handsome  two-story  barracks,  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  officers,  occupies  the  west  siUe,  and 
buildings  of  the  same  height  for  the  soldiers'  quarters  stand 
on  the  north  and  a  part  of  the  east  side.  The  open  space  is 
a  parade  ground,  where  the  troops  are  every  day  exercised 
by  the  adjutant, 

"In  the  northwest  corner  of  the  large  area,  inclosed  with 
picket ,  on  ground  slightly  elevated,  stands  the  fort.  It  is 
separated  from  the  houses  by  an  esplanade,  and  is  sur- 
rounded, first  by  an  abatis  of  treetops  about  four  feet  high, 
having  the  butts  of  the  limbs  sharpened  and  projecting  out- 
ward; then  by  a  deep  ditch,  in  the  center  of  which  are  high 
pickets;  and  then  by  a  row  of  light  palisades,  seven  or  eight 
feet  long,  projecting  horizontally  from  the  glacis. 

"The  fort  itself  covers  not  more  than  half  an  acre  of 
ground.  It  is  square,  with  a  bastion  at  each  angle,  and  with 
parapets  and  ramparts  so  high  as  to  entirely  shelter  the  quar- 
ters within,  which  are  bomb-proof.  The  entrance  to  the  fort 
is  on  the  south  side,  facing  the  river,  and  is  over  a  draw- 
bridge, and  through  a  covered  way,  over  which  on  each 
side  are  long  iron  cannon,  carrying  24-pound  shots,  which 
the  officers  call  the  'British  lions.'  On  each  of  the  other 
sides  are  two  cannon,  and  on  each  bastion  four,  some  six, 
some  nine,  and  some  twelve-pounders.     By  the  side  of  the 


107 


gate,  near  the  end  of  the  officers'  barracks,  there  is  a  24- 
pounder,  and  there  are  two  small  batteries  of  cannon  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  for  the  protection  of  the  south  side  of  the 
town. 

"The  fort  is  garrisoned  by  a  company  of  artillery  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  Spear,  two  companies  of  infantry,  and 
one  of  grenadiers,  of  the  Twenty-fourth  regiment,  which  is 
Col.  Ejigland's  regiment.  The  other  companies  are  at 
Michilimackinac  and  other  northern  posts. 

"Anchored  in  the  river  in  frant  of  the  town  are  three  brigs 
of  about  200  tons  each.  The  Chippewa  and  Ottawa  arc 
new,  and  carry  eight  guns  each.  The  Dunmore  is  an  old 
vessel  and  carries  six  guns.  There  is  a  sloop,  the  l-'elicity, 
of  about  100  tons,  armed  with  two  swivels.  These  vessels 
all  belong  to  his  majesty,  George  III.,  and  are  commanded 
by  Commodore  Grant.  There  are  besides,  several  merchant- 
men, sloops  and  schooners,  the  property  of  private  indi- 
viduals." 

After  the  Stars  and  Stripes  began  to  wave  above  the  fort, 
emigrants  from  France  commenced  to  arrive  and  occasion- 
ally an  American  from  the  state  would  venture  thus  far 
into  the  wilderness.  There  were  no  sawmills,  and  lumber 
was  cut  by  hand.  The  first  Yankee  trader  to  arrive  was 
Stephen  Mack.  He  erected  a  shanty  and  oi^ened  an  em- 
porium of  fashion,  selling  calico  at  75  cents,  and  "apron 
check"  for  $1  per  yard.     Tea  cost  $2  per  pound. 

On  January  11,  1805,  that  part  of  the  great  northern  terri- 
tory lying  between  Lake  Michigan  on  the  west.  Lakes 
Huron,  St.  Clair  and  Erie  and  their  connecting  rivers  on  the 


108 


east,  was  organized  into  the  territory  of  Michigan  by  an  act 
of  congress.  WilHani  flull  was  appointed  governor;  Au- 
gustus ]{.  Woodward.   Frederick  liates  and  J«dni  (Iriflfiii 


VIEW  OF  DETROIT  IN  17%. 
Irom  a  Drawing  in  Possession  of  C.  M.  Burton. 


judges,  but  they  did  not  arrive  until  Jwne  12.  June  11,  just 
five  months  after  the  territory  was  organized,  a  fire  broke  out 
at  midday  and  at  nightfall  the  village  of  Detroit  consisted  of 
one  dwelling  house  on  Ste.  Anne  street,  a  brick  storehouse, 
and  piles  of  smoking  ashes.  Hull  and  the  other  territorial 
officers  were  sworn  in  the  second  Tuesday  of  July,  and  then 
the  people  who  had  been  living  in  tents  and  huts,  became 
inspired  with  hope  and  courage,  and  commenced  erecting 
houses.  The  fire  had  obliterated  all  lines  and  boundaries, 
but  congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  governor  and 
judges  to  lay  out  a  new  town,  including  all  previous  ground 


loy 


and  10,000  acres  adjacent.  Ev^ry  person  above  the  age  of 
17,  who  did  not  owe  allcgfiance  to  a  foreign  power,  and 
owned  or  occupied  a  house  when  the  fire  broke  out,  was 
given  a  lot  of  5,000  square  feet.  What  remained  of  the 
10,000  acres  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  applied  to  the  erec- 
tion of  a  courthouse  and  jail. 


CONSPIRACY  OF  PONTIAC. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  Joly  11,  1896,) 

The  story  of  the  conspiracy  of  Pontiac  and  other  Indian 
chiefs  to  capture  the  fort  in  May,  1763,  has  frequently  been 
written,  but  the  following  is  the  ofificial  report  of  Lieut.  Mac- 
Donald  to  Lieut-Col.  Bouquet,  under  date  of  July  12  of 
that  year: 

"You  certainly  have  heard  long  before  now  of  our  mis- 
fortunes at  the  Detroit  and  its  dependencies,  but  as  it  may  be 
satisfactory  to  you  to  be  more  particularly  informed,  do  my- 
self the  pleasure  to  give  you  an  exact  account  of  all  that  has 
happened  in  this  department,  and  hope  that  you'll  do  me  the 
justice  to  believe  that  I  would  have  written  you  and  com- 
municated the  same  long  ago  had  an  opportunity  offered. 

"On  Friday,  the  6th  of  May,  we  were  privately  informed 
of  a  conspiracy  formed  against  us  by  the  Indians,  particu- 
larly the  Ottawa  Nation,  who  were  to  come  to  council  with 
us  the  next  day,  and  massacre  every  soul  of  us. 

"On  the  morning  of  that  day,  being  Saturday,  the  7th  day 
of  May,  15  of  their  warriors  came  into  the  fort  and  seemed 
very  inquisitive  and  anxious  to  know  where  all  the  English 

*-  110 


merchants'  shops  were.  At  9  o'clock  the  garrison  were  or- 
dered under  arms,  and  the  savages  continued  coming  into  the 
fort  until  1 1  o'clock,  diminishing  their  number  as  much  as 
possible  by  dividing  themselves  at  all  the  comers  of  the 
streets  most  adjacent  to  the  shops.  Before  12  o'clock  they 
were  300  men,  at  least  three  times  in  number  equal  to  that  of 
the  garrison,  but  seeing  all  the  troops  under  arms,  and  find- 
ing the  merchants'  shops  shut,  I  imagined  prevented  them 
from  attempting  to  put  their  evil  scheme  in  execution  that 
day. 


"Observing  us  thus  prepared,  their  chiefs  came  in  a  very 
condenmed  like  manner  to  council,  where  they  spoke  a  great 
deal  of  nonsense  to  Maj.  Gladwin  and  Capt.  Campbell,  pro- 
testing at  the  same  time  the  greatest  friendship  imaginable  to 
them,  but  expressing  their  surprise  at  seeing  all  the  offtcers 
and  men  under  arms. 

"The  major  then  told  them  that  he  had  certain  intelligence 
that  some  Indians  were  projecting  mischief,  and  on  that  ac- 
count he  was  determined  to  have  the  troops  always  under 
arms  upon  such  occasions;  that  they,  being  the  oldest  nation, 
and  the  first  to  come  to  council,  need  not  be  astonished  at 
that  precaution,  as  he  was  resolved  to  do  the  same  to  all 
nations.  At  2  o'clock  they  had  done  speaking,  went  off 
seemingly  very  discontented,  and  crossed  the  river  half  a 
league  from  the  fort,  where  they  all  encamped.  •  • 

"About  6  o'clock  that  afternoon  six  of  their  warriors  re- 
turned and  brought  an  old  squaw  prisoner,  alleging  that  she 
had  given  us  false  information  against  them.  The  major 
declared  she  had  never  given  any  kind  of  advice.    They  then 


insisted  upon  naming  the  author  of  what  he  heard  with  re- 
gard to  the  Indians,  which  he  declined  to  do,  but  told  them  it 
was  one  of  themselves,  whose  name  he  promised  never  to 
reveal,  whereupon  they  went  off  and  carried  the  old  woman 
with  them.  When  they  arrived  at  their  camp,  Pontiac,  their 
greatest  chief,  seized  on  the  prisoner  and  gave  her  three 
strokes  with  a  stick  on  the  head  which  laid  her  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  the  whole  nation  assembled  round  her,  and 
called  repeatedly:  'Kill  her!  Kill  her!' 


"Sunday,  the  8th,  Pontiac  and  several  others  of  iheir  prin- 
cipal chiefs  came  into  the  fort  at  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  bro'ight  a  pipe  of  peace  with  them,  with  which  they 
wanted  to  convince  us  fully  of  their  friendship  and  sincerity, 
but  the  major,  judging  that  they  only  wanted  to  caggole  us, 
would  not  go  nigh  them,  nor  give  them  any  countenance, 
which  obliged  Capt.  Campbell  to  go  and  speak  to  them,  and 
after  smoking  with  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  assuring  him  of 
their  fidelity,  they  said  that  the  next  morning  all  the  nation 
would  come  to  council,  when  everything  would  be  settled  to 
our  satisfaction,  after  which  they  would  immediately  disperse, 
and  that  would  remove  all  kind  of  suspicion.  Accordingly, 
on  Monday  morning,  the  9th,  six  of  their  warriors  came  into 
the  fort  at  6  o'clock,  and  upon  seeing  the  garrison  under 
arms,  went  off  without  being  observed.  About  10  o'clock 
o'clock  we  cc  ..nted  56  canoes  with  about  7  and  8  men  in  each 
crossing  the  river  from  their  camp,  and  when  they  arrived 
nigh  the  Fort,  the  gates  Avere  shut  and  the  interpreter  sent 
to  tell  them  that  not  above  50  or  60  chiefs  would  be  admitted 
into  the  Fort,  upon  which  Pontiac  immediately  desired  the 


112 


interpreter  in  a  peremptory  manner  to  return  directly  and 
acquaint  us  that  if  all  their  people  had  not  free  access  into 
the  'ort,  none  of  them  would  enter  it;  that  we  might  stay  in 
our  Fort,  but  he  would  keep  the  country,  adding  that  he 
would  order  a  party  instantly  to  an  island  where  we  had  24 
bullocks,  which  they  immediately  killed.  Unluckily  three 
soldiers  were  on  the  island  and  a  poor  man  with  his  wife  and 
four  children,  which  they  all  murthered  except  two  children, 
as  also  a  poor  woman  and  her  two  sons  that  lived  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  fort. 


"After  having  thus  put  all  the  English  without  the  fort  to 
death,  they  ordered  a  Frenchman,  who  had  seen  the  woman 
and  her  two  sons  killed  and  scalped,  to  come  and  inform  us 
of  it,  and  likewise  of  their  having  murdered  Sir  Robert 
Dave."s,  Capt.  Robertson  and  a  boat's  crew  of  six  persons 
two  days  before  near  the  entrance  of  Lake  Huron,  from 
which  place  they  set  ofif  from  here  on  Monday,  the  2d,  in 
order  to  know  if  these  lakes  and  rivers  were  navigable  for  a 
schooner  which  lay  here  to  proceed  to  Michilimackinac. 
We  were  then  fully  persuaded  that  the  inform.ation  gi\'en  us 
was  well  founded,  and  a  proper  disposition  was  made  for  the 
defense  of  the  fort,  although  our  number  was  but  small,  not 
exceeding  120,  including  all  the  English  traders,  and  the 
works  very  nigh  a  mile  in  circumference. 

"On  Tuesday,  the  loth,  early  in  the  morning  the  savages 
began  to  fire  on  the  fort  and  vessels  which  lay  opposite  to  it. 
About  8  o'clock  the  Indians  called  a  parley,  ceased  firing, 
and  half  an  hour  after  the  chiefs  of  the  Wyandottes  came  into 
the  fort  on  their  way  to  council,  where  th.ey  were  called  by 


the  Ottawas,  and  promised  us  to  endeavor  to  solicit  to  and 
persuade  the  Ottawas  from  committing  further  hostilities 
After  drinking  glasses  of  rum  they  went  ofiF. 

"At  3  o'clock,  several  of  the  inhabitants,  and  four  chiefs,  of 
the  Ottawas,  Wyandottes,  Chippewas  and  Pottawattomies 
come  and  acquainted  us  that  most  of  all  the  inhabitants  were 
assembled  at  a  Frenchman's  house  about  a  mile  from  the 
fort,  where  the  savages  proposed  to  hold  a  council,  and  de- 
siring Capt.  Campbell  and  another  officer  to  go  with  them  to 
that  council,  where  they  hoped  with  their  presence  and  assist- 
ance further  hostilities  would  cease,  assuring  us  at  the  same 
time  that  be  as  it  would,  that  Capt.  Campbell  and  the  other 
officers  that  went  with  him  should  return  whenever  they 
pleased.  This  promise  was  ascertained  (asserted)  by  ihe 
French  as  well  as  tlie  Indian  chiefs,  whereupon  Capt.  Camp- 
bell and  Lieut.  McDougall  went  ofif,  escorted  by  a  number  of 
inhabitants  and  the  four  chiefs.  The  first  promised  to  be 
answerable  for  their  returning  that  night. 

"When  they  arrived  at  the  house  above  mentioned  they 
found  the  French  and  Indians  assembled,  and  after  counoil- 
ling  a  long  time,  the  Wiandottes  were  prevailed  upon  to  sing 
the  war  song,  and  this  being  done  it  was  next  resolved  that 
Capt.  Campbell  and  Lieut.  McDougall  should  be  detained 
prisoners,  but  would  be  indulged  to  lodge  in  a  Frenchman's 
house  till  a  French  commandant  arrived  from  Illinois;  that 
next  day  five  Indians  and  as  many  Canadians  would  be  dis- 
patched to  acquaint  the  commanding  officer  at  the  Illinois 
tliat  Detroit  was  in  their  possession,  and  required  of  him  to 
send  an  officer  to  command,  to  whom  Capt.  Campbell  and 
Lieut  McDougall  should  be  delivered.     As  for  Maj.  Glad- 

114 


win,  he  was  summoned  to  give  up  the  fort  and  two  vessels, 
etc.,  the  troops  to  ground  their  arms ;  that  they  would  allow 
as  many  battoes  and  as  much  provisions  as  they  judged 
requisite  for  us  to  go  to  Niagara;  that  if  these  proposals  were 
not  accepted  of,  they  were  i,ooo  men  and  would  storm  the 
Fort  at  all  events,  and  in  that  case  every  soul  of  us  should  be 
put  to  the  torture. 

"Tlie  major  returned  for  answer  that  as  soon  as  the  two 
officers  were  permitted  to  come  into  the  fort,  he  would,  after 
consulting  them,  give  a  positive  answer  to  their  demands; 
but  could  do  nothing  without  obtaining  their  opinion. 

"On  Wednesday,  the  nth,  several  inhabitants  came  early 
in  the  morning  into  the  fort,  and  advised  us  by  way  of  friend- 
ship to  make  our  escape  aboard  the  vessels,  assuring  us  we 
had  no  other  method  by  which  we  could  preserve  our  lives, 
as  the  Indians  were  then  1,500  fighting  men  and  would  be  as 
many  more  in  a  few  days,  and  that  they  were  fully  determined 
to  attack  us  in  an  hour's  time. 


"We  told  the  monsieurs  we  were  ready  to  receive  them, 
and  that  every  officer  and  soldier  in  the  fort  would  willingly 
perish  in  the  defense  of  it  rather  than  condescend  or  agree  to 
any  terms  that  savages  would  propose,  upon  which  the 
French  went  off,  as  I  suppose  to  communicate  what  he  had 
said  to  their  allies,  and  in  a  little  afterwards  the  Indians  gave 
their  usual  hoop,  and  about  500  or  600  began  to  attack  tho 
fort  on  all  quarters.  Indeed,  some  of  them  behaved  ex- 
tremely well,  advanced  very  boldly  in  an  open  plain,  exposed 
to  all  our  fire,  and  came  within  60  yards  of  the  fort,  but  upon 
having  three  men  killed  and  about  a  dozen  wounded,  thev 


"5 


retired  as  briskly  as  they  had  advanced,  and  fired  at  300  yards 
distance  till  7  o'clock  at  night,  when  they  sent  a  Frenchman 
into  the  fort  with  a  letter  for  the  major,  desiring  a  cessation 
of  arms  that  night,  and  proposing  to  let  the  troops  with  their 
amis  go  on  board  the  vessels,  but  insisting  on  our  giving  up 
the  fort.leaving  the  French  artillery,all  the  merchandise  and 
officers'  effects,  and  had  even  the  insolence  to  demand  a. 
negro  boy  belonging  to  a  merchant,  to  be  delivered  to 
Pontiac. 

"The  major's  reply  to  their  extraordinary  propositions 
was    much  the  same  as  the  first. 


"Thursday,  the  12th,  five  Frenchmen  and  as  many  Indians 
were  sent  off  for  the  Illinois  with  letters  wrote  by  a  Can- 
adian agreeable  to  Pondiac's  desire.  On  the  13th,  we  were 
informed  by  the  inhabitants  that  Mr.  Chapman,  a  trader 
from  Niagara,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Wiandotes  with 
five  battoes  loaded  with  goods.  The  21st,  one  of  tlie  vessels 
was  ordered  to  sail  for  Niagara,  but  to  remain  till  the 
June  6,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  order  to  advert  some 
battoes  which  we  expected  daily  from  Niagara.  On  the 
22nd,  we  were  told  that  Ensign  Paullus,  who  commanded 
at  Sandusky,  was  brought  prisoner  by  10  Ottawas,  who 
reported  that  they  had  prevailed  after  a  long  consultation 
with  the  Wiandotes  who  lived  at  Sandusky,  to  declare  war 
against  us ;  that  some  days  ago  they  came  early  of  a  morn- 
ing to  the  blockhouse  there  and  murdered  every  soul 
therein,  consisting  of  27  persons,  traders  included;  that 
Messrs.  Callender  and  Prenties,  formerly  captains  in  the 


Pennsylvania  regiment,  were  among  tliat  number,  and  that 
they  had  taken  lOO  horses  loaded  with  Indian  g(X>ds,  which, 
with  the  plunder  of  the  garrison  was  agreed  on  to  be  given 
to  the  Wiandotes  before  they  condescended  to  join  them; 
that  all  they  wanted  was  the  connnanding  officer. 

"On  the  29th  of  May  we  had  the  mortification  to  see 
eight  of  our  battoes  in  possession  of  the  enemy  passing 
on  the  opposite  shore  with  several  soldiers  aboard.  Called 
at  these  in  the  battoe  that  if  they  passed  the  savages  would 
kill  them  all,  upon  which  they  immediately  seized  upon 
two  Indians  and  threw  them  overboard.  Unluckily  one 
of  the  Indians  brought  a  soldier  overboard  with  him  and 
tomahawked  him  directly,  they  being  near  the  shore  and 
it  quite  shoal.  Another  soldier  laid  hold  of  an  oar  and 
struck  that  Indian  upon  the  head  of  which  wound  he  is 
since  dead.  Then  there  remained  only  three  soldiers,  of 
which  two  were  wounded,  and  although  50  Indians  were 
on  the  bank  not  60  yards  firing  upon  them  the  three  sol- 
diers escaped  on  board  the  vessel,  with  the  Battoe  loaded 
with  eight  barrels  of  provisions,  and  gives  the  following 
account  of  their  misfortunes,  viz.: 


"That  two  nights  before  at  10  o'clock  they  arrived  about 
six  leagues  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  they 
encamped;  that  two  men  went  a  little  from  the  camp  for 
firewood  to  boil  the  kettle,  where  one  of  the  two  was 
seized  by  an  Indian,  killed  and  scalped  in  an  instant.  The 
other  soldier  ran  directly  and  alarmed  the  camp,  upon 
which  Lieut.  Cuyler  immediately  ordered  to  give  ammu- 
nition to  the  detachment,  which  consisted  of  one  sergeant 


117 


and  1/  soldiers  of  the  Royal  Americans,  three  sergeants 
and  75  rank  and  tile  of  the  Queen's  Independent  Company 
of  Rangers.  After  having  delivered  their  ammunition  and 
a  disposition  made  of  the  men,  the  enemy  came  close  to 
them  without  being  observed  behind  a  bank,  and  fired 
very  smartly  upon  our  flank  which  could  not  sustain  the 
enemy's  fire,  and  they  retiring  precipitately  threw  the  whole 
in  confusion.  By  that  means  the  soldiers  embarked  aboard 
the  Battoes  with  one,  two  and  three  oars  in  each  Battoe, 
which  gave  an  opportunity  to  the  savages  of  taking  them 
all  except  Lieut.  Cuyler  and  30  men  that  made  their  escape 
in  the  Battoes  to  Niagara. 

"On  the  night  of  the  2nd  inst.  Capt.  Campbell  and  Lieut. 
McDougall  made  a  resolution  to  escape.  It  was  agreed 
on  between  them  that  Mr.  McDougall  should  set  off  first, 
which  he  did,  and  got  safe  into  the  fort.  But  you  know  it 
was  much  more  dangerous  for  Capt.  Campbell  than  for 
any  other  person,  by  reason  tliat  he  could  neither  run  nor 
see,  and  being  sensible  of  that  failing  1  am  sure  prevented 
him  from  attempting  to  escape. 


"The  4th  a  detachment  was  ordered  to  destroy  some 
breastworks  and  entrenchment  the  Indians  had  made  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  fort,  and  about  20  Indians  came 
to  attack  that  party,  which  they  engaged,  but  were  drove 
ofif  in  an  instant  with  the  loss  of  one  man  killed  and  two 
wounded,  which  our  people  scalped  and  cut  in  pieces.  Half 
an  hour  afterwards  the  savages  carried  the  man  they  had 
lost  before  Capt.  Campbell,  stripped  him  naked,  and  directly 
murdered  him  in  a  cruel  manner,  which  indeed  gives  me 

118 


pain  beyond  expression,  and  I  am  sure  cannot  miss  but  to 
affect  sensibly  all  his  acquaintances.  My  present  comfort 
is  that  if  charity,  innocence  and  integrity  is  a  sufficient 
dispensation  for  all  mankind,  that  entitles  him  for  happiness 
in  the  world  to  come." 

THE    BLOODY    RUN — TWO    STORIES   OF    THE     FAMOUS    INDIAN 

MASSACRE. 

It  is  an  old  and  a  trite  saying  that  one  story  is  good 
until  another  is  told.  The  French  and  Indian  account  of 
the  tragedies  of  July  4  differs  very  materially  from  the  Eng- 
lish story  as  told  by  Lieut.  MacDonald.  It  is  that  Lieut. 
Hay  and  a  number  of  soldiers  started  from  the  fort  to  the 
house  of  M.  Baby,  to  get  some  powder  and  lead  that  had 
been  left  there.  On  the  way  they  met  the  nephew  of  an 
Ojibway  chief,  killed  him,  tore  off  his  scalp,  and  shook  it 
toward  the  enemy.  The  chief  ran  to  the  house  of  M.  Meloclie, 
where  Campbell  was  confined,  bound  him  to  a  fence,  shot 
him  to  death  with  arrows,  cut  off  his  head,  tore  out  his 
heart  and  ate  it. 

The  wanton  killing  of  the  Indian  had  fired  anew  the 
hearts  of  the  chiefs,  and  it  was  determined  to  destroy  the 
fort  and  all  who  were  in  it.  Pontiac  was  at  their  head, 
a  crafty  and  fearless  leader,  and  he  laid  a  plan  of  siege. 
The  English  inhabitants  had  fled  within  the  picketed  inclos- 
ure,  and  the  Indians  at  once  cut  off  all  supplies  from  the 
outside.  They  knew,  however,  that  relief  would  soon  come 
from  the  forts  below,  and  they  resorted  to  every  artifice  and 
strategy  known  in  savage  warfare.  To  prevent  the  vessels 
anchored   in   the   river   from   going   after   supplies,   they 


119 


attempted  to  destroy  them  with  fire.  Tlicy  constructed  a 
large  raft  up  near  the  mouth  of  i'arent's  creek,  piled  it 
high  with  dry  wood  and  brush,  saturated  the  pile  with  tar, 
pushed  the  raft  out  into  the  stream,  and  when  it  had  floated 
down  nearly  to  the  vessels  applied  the  torch.  The  sailors 
at  once  slipped  their  anchors,  and  the  vessels  then  floated 
as  rapidly  as  the  raft.  Sails  were  run  up  and  the  vessels 
glided  to  a  position  of  safety. 


This  was  on  the  night  ol  July  lo,  and  as  soon  as  the 
fire  raft  was  in  mid-stream  the  besieging  host  filled  the  air 
about  the  fort  with  blazing  arrows.  Some  of  them  fell  upon 
the  houses  and  set  them  on  fire,  but  a  portion  of  the  garri- 
son extinguished  the  flames,  while  the  reinainder  fired  at 
every  Indian  wlio  exposed  himself.  The  attempt  to  destroy 
Detroit  with  fire  was  a  failure,  and  Maj.  Gladwin  retaliated 
for  the  attempt  by  sending  the  vessel  up  and  down  the  river 
to  fire  their  cannon  at  the  Indian  villages  and  encampments. 

Relief  came  to  the  besieged  garrison  on  the  29th,  when 
22  barges  came  up  the  river  bearing  Capt.  Dalzell,  Maj. 
Rogers,  280  soldiers,  cannon,  ammunition  and  an  abundance 
of  stores.  Indeed,  the  fort  was  too  small  to  accommiodate 
all  the  officers  and  men,  and  some  of  them  were  quartered 
at  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants. 

Dalzell  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  east  under  Gen.  Putnam, 
was  a  bold  and  fearless  fighter,  and  held  Indian  warfare  in 
contempt.  He  at  once  besought  Gladwin  to  permit  him 
to  go  out  with  a  detachment  and  drive  the  savages  away, 
but  Gladwin  knew  the  danger  of  going  into  the  forest  to 
fight  with  natives  of  the  forest,  and  though  he  at  first  refused, 


120 


finally  yielded.  At  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July  ^^i 
Dalzell,  at  the  head  of  250  men,  Icfl  tliu  fort  and  marched 
as  silently  as  possible  up  the  river  road,  two  large  bateaux, 
each  carrying  a  swivel  and  a  number  of  artillerymen,  inoving 
up  the  river  to  sup^xjrt  him. 


Pontiac,  however,  had  in  some  manner  gained  intelli- 
gence of  the  projected  movement,  and  early  the  previous 
evening  had  sunmioned  his  chiefs  and  their  warriors  to  a 
council  at  a  large  tree  that  then  stood  on  the  banks  of 
Parent's  Creek,  just  below  where  Jefferson  avenue  now 
crosses  its  buried  channel,  and  there  they  waited  the  attack. 
This  was  ever  after  called  "Pontiac's  council  tree,"  and  old 
residents  well  remember  it.  It  was  cut  down  a  few  years 
ago,  but  its  stump  is  still  pointed  out  to  visitors.  The 
tree  has  frequently  been  called  "Pontiac's  Oak,"  and  "Pon- 
tiac's Elm,"  but  it  was  a  whitewood. 

It  was  a  starlight  night,  and  as  the  close  columns  of 
Dalzell's  conmiand  neared  the  banks  of  the  creek  the  am- 
bushed Indians,  themselves  invisible,  poured  in  a  deadly 
fire.  The  troops  returned  the  fire,  but  they  might  as  well 
have  saved  their  bullets.  Dalzell  attempted  to  drive  the 
savages  from  cover  by  charging,  but  they  slipped  from  tree 
to  tree  and  remained  invisible.  Their  fire  was  incessant 
and  gallant,  and  Capt.  Grant,  who  commanded  one  detach- 
ment, ordered  a  retreat.  Capt.  Rogers,  in  command  of 
the  other  wing,  fell  back  to  the  house  of  Jacques  Campeau, 
which  stood  on  the  river  bank  between  the  present  Dubois 
and  Chene  streets,  and  there  maintained  his  position. 


121 


Dalzcll  saw  thai  nothing  but  loss  was  to  be  gained  by 
fighting  with  a  hidden  foe,  and  directed  his  conniiand  to  fall 
back  beyond  the  range  of  their  bullets,  lie  endeavored  to 
carry  back  a  wounrlcd  soldier,  and  was  himself  shot  dead. 
By  this  time  each  detachment  was  surrounded  by  mad- 
dened Indians,  but  maintained  their  positions  until  daylight, 
when  reinforcements  arrived  from  the  fort,  and  at  8  o'clock 
the  dcteated  troops  reached  their  quarters.  Eighteen  had 
been  killed,  three  taken  prisoners,  and  38  wounded.  Tlic 
Indians  mutilated  the  body  of  Capt.  Dalzell  and  left  it  where 
he  fell.  It  was  brought  to  the  fort  by  a  son  of  Jacques 
Campeau,  and  buried  in  the  "King's  Garden,"  within  the 
fort.     Parent's  Creek  was  ever  after  called  "Blooily  Run." 

In  1772  Jacques  Campeau  sent  the  following  petition  "To 
the  King's  Most  Excellent  Majesty": 

"In  the  year  1763,  when  the  dififerent  nations  of  savages 
had  attacked  the  fort  of  Detroit,  commanded  by  Col.  (ilad- 
well  (Gladwin),  and  your  majesty's  troops  there  had  sallied 
out  against  them,  but  being  few  in  number  were  constrained 
to  retreat,  your  petitioner  very  cordially  received  250  of 
them  into  his  house,  who  were  unable  to  reach  the  fort,  and 
from  whence  they  fought  against  the  savages  some  time, 
when  your  petitioner,  his  wife  and  family,  administered  to 
them  all  the  comfort  his  dwelling  could  afiford,  nevertheless 
and  notwithstanding  your  majesty's  orders  to  the  contrary, 
your  petitioner's  house  was  plundered  of  effects  to  the  value 
of  $300;  that  after  that  disaster  had  sujasided  your  petitioner 
applied  to  Col.  Gladwell  for  a  pecuniary  recompense  for 
the  injury  he  had  suffered  in  his  property,  who  most  equit- 
ably ordered  a  court  martial  to  inquire  into  the  amount  of 


122 


your  petitioner's  losses,  wliicli  upon  a  fair  inquiry,  they 
reported  at  $300,  as  by  tlie  papers  remaining  in  your 
majesty's  archives  at  Detroit,  hilly  apjx'ars,  but  your  peti- 
tioner, notwithstanding  such  iiuiuiry  and  report  has  not 
been  paid  any  part  of  it,  but  still  remains  altogether  unindem- 
nified." 


JOHN  FRANCIS  HAMTRAMCK. 

(From  the  Detroit  'ou-nal.  July  11,  1896.) 

When  his  distinguished  rank  and  military  services  are 
considered,  and  especially  the  fact  that  after  fighting  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  to  aid  the  colonies  to  win  their  inde- 
pendence, and  that,  this  accomplish>?d,  the  remaining  20 
years  of  his  life  were  given  to  the  northwest,  fighting  Indians 
with  Gen.  Wayne  until  the  departure  of  the  Br.tish  from 
the  line  of  forts  stretching  from  Erie  to  the  Straits  of  Mack- 
inac, compelled  them  to  leave  the  warpath  and  sue  for  peace, 
and  then  taking  command  of  the  fortifications  here,  making 
a  liome  here  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  remarkably  little  is 
known  of  the  private  life  of  John  Francis  Hamtramck. 

Applcton's  Encyclopaedia  says  he  was  born  in  Canada  in 
1757,  but  does  not  give  the  date  nor  the  place.  As  a 
youth  il  takes  him  over  into  the  state  of  New  York,  and 
makes  him  a  soldier  in  Dubois'  regiment. 

The  late  Robert  E.  Roberts,  in  his  little  history  of  Detroit, 
published  in  1863,  says  that  Hamtramck  was  one  of  the 
gallant  French  youths  who  came  to  this  country  with  Gen. 
Lafayette,  and  served  on  his  staff. 

123 


Roberts  came  here  about  20  years  after  the  death  of 
Hamtramck,  at  a  time  when,  and  for  years  afterwards,  there 
were  scores  of  prominent  citizens  who- had  known  the  gal- 
lant oflficer  personally,  and  beyond  doubt  he  gained  his 
information  from  them.  Moreover,  Roberts  was  a  careful 
and  accurate  writer,  who  would  not  have  spoken  with  posi- 
tiveness  had  he  been  uncertain  of  his  facts. 

Roth  agree  that  Hanitramck  served  in  the  American  army 
with  distinction,  and  continued  in  the  service  as  long  as 
there  was  any  fighting  to  be  done  for  the  stniggling  states. 
On  the  29th  of  September,  1789,  he  was  appointed  a  major 
of  infantry.  February  18,  1793,  he  w^as  made  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  placed  in  command  of  the  first  sub-legion,  lie 
led  the  left  wing  of  Wayne's  army  at  the  battle  on  the  Miami, 
August  20,  1794,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  bravery. 

He  remained  with  Wayne's  army,  keeping  the  Indians 
in  subjection  by  striking  them  heavily  whenever  they  went 
on  the  warpath,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Wayne 
October  22,  1794.  When  word  was  received  in  May,  1796, 
that  the  British  were  about  to  evacuate  the  posts  they  then 
held  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  Col.  Hani- 
tramck went  down  the  Maumee  to  Camp  Deposit  and 
remained  there  until  the  21st  of  June.  A  few  days  later 
the  British  surrendered  P'ort  IMiamis,  and  Hamtramck  was 
there  when  he  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Detroit  and 
take  possession  of  Fort  Lernoult. 


"4 


Sacred 
to  the   Memory  of 
John  Francis  Hamtramck  Esq.. 
Colonel  of  the  U  States  Regiment  of  inf-ty, 

and 
Commandant  of 
Detroit   and  its  Dependencies 
He  departed  this  life  on  the  ii^^  of  Ap'  1803 
Aged  ^5  Years,  7  Months,  6  28  days 
True  Patriotism, 
And  a  zealous  Attachment  to  rational  Liberty 
Joined  to  a  laudable  Ambition, 
led  him  into  Military  Service  at  an  early 
period  of  his  life, 
He  was  a  Soldier  even  before  he  was  a  man; 
He  was  an  active  participator 
in  all  the  Dangers,  Difficulties  and  Honors 
of  the  Revolutionary  War; 
And  his  Heroism  and  uniform  good  conduct 
procured  him  the  Attentions  6  Personal  Thanks  of 
the  Immortal  Washington. 
The  United  States  m  him  have  lost 
a  Valuable  Officer  6  a  Good  Citizen, 
And  Society  an  Useful  6  Pleasant  Member; 
to  his  Family  the  Loss  is  incalculable: 
And  his  Friends  will  never  forget 
the  memory  of  Hamtramck 
this  humble  Monument  is  placed  over 

his  Remains 
by  the  Officers  who  had  the  Honor 

to  serve  under  his  command. 
A  small,  but  grateful  Tribute  to 
his  Merit 

and 
his  Worth. 

INSCRIPTION  ON  HAJITRAMCK'S  TOMB. 


He  had  insufficient  means  for  transjjortation,  but  July  7 
two  small  vessels  arrived  from  Detroit,  and  Hamtramck 
immediately  hurried  on  board  a  detachment  of  infantry' 
and  artillery,  65  men  in  all,  under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Moses  Porter,  a  few  cannon,  ammunition  and  stores,  and 
dispatched  them  with  orders  to  take  possession  of  Detroit 
and  the  fort  and  hold  them  until  his  arrival.  Two  days 
later  he  had  procured  a  sloop  of  50  tons,  loaded  it  with 
flour,  quartermasters'  stores,  ordnance  and  ammunition, 
and  leaving"  Capt.  Marschalk,  Lieut.  Shanklin  and  52 
infantry,  a  corporal  and  six  artillery,  in  command  of  Fort 
Miamis,  embarked  on  the  slcop  and  1 1  bateaux  for  Detroit, 
his  troops  numbering  about  250. 

Eight  days  later  he  wrote  to  Gen.  Wilkinson  from  Detroit 
that  the  British  evacuated  on  the  nth,  and  Capt.  Porter 
took  possession.  Hamtramck  and  his  command  arrived  on 
the  13th.  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne  arrived  about  a  imoiith 
later,  remained  here  until  the  middle  of  November,  went 
to  Presqu'  He,  now  Erie,  and  died  there  December  14. 

Col.  Hamtramck  remained  at  Fort  Shelby,  as  it  was  now 
called,  until  April  11,  1803,  the  date  of  his  death.  His 
remains  were  interred  in  the  burial  ground  adjoining-  Ste. 
Anne's  church,  in  the  square  bounded  by  Earned,  Congress, 
Bates  and  Randolph  streets,  and  there  reposed  until  about 
30  years  ago,  when  they  were  removed  to  Mt.  Elliott. 


(Note. — John  Francis  Hamtramck  (or  Hamtrenck)  was  a  son  of 
Charles  David  Hamtrenck  and  Marie  Ann  Bertin,  and  was  born  at 
Quebec  Aucfusl  16,  1756.  His  father,  Charles  David  Hamtrenck  dit 
L'AUemand  was  a  barber  and  a  son  of  David  Hamtrenck  and  Adele 
Garnik  of  Luxembourj?.  diocese  of  Treves,  Germany,  and  he  married 
Marie  Anne  Bertin  at  Quebec,  November  26,  1753.)— C.  M.  B. 

126 


The  letter  and  record  book  of  the  colonel  for  the  period 
he  was  stationed  here  is  still  in  existence,  bnt  is  a  highly- 
prized  possession  of  a  family  at  Dayton,  O.  It  was  in 
the  garrison  when  Hull  made  his  cowardly  surrender  in 
1812,  and  was  taken  away  by  an  officer  of  Ohio  militia 
among  his  personal  effects. 


ILE  AUX  COCHONS. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  11.  1896,) 

ICarliest  Name  of  our  Beautiful  Park  in  Detroit  River. 

The  possession  of  the  lie  aux  Cochons,  now  our  own 
Belle  Isle,  was  longer  in  dispute  than  Detroit.  Cadillac 
granted  it  to  the  early  settlers  as  a  common,  but  nobotly 
claimed  any  property  rights  in  the  island  until  about  the 
year  1753. 

Lieut.  George  McDougall,  of  his  majesty's  Sixtieth  Regi- 
ment, had  been  a  faithful  officer,  and  about  the  year  named 
was  given  a  grant  toi  the  island  by  George  III.  and  the 
council.  He  took  possession,  erected  buildings,  and  cleared 
a  portion  of  the  land.  Meantime  two  other  residents  of 
Detroit  had  applied  to  the  crown  for  a  grant  of  the  island, 
but  their  applications  had  been  rejected. 

Ever  since  the  grant  of  Cadillac  the  island  liad  been 
common  grazing  ground,  and  after  a  time  protect  was  made 
against  the  possession  by  McDougall.  Sir  Guy  Carleton. 
writing  to  Lord  Hillsborough  from  Quebec.  July  8.  t76<), 
says:  .  . 


127 


"The  grants  and  papers  have  not  yet  been  found  among 
the  public  records  here.  It  is  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  the 
right  of  common  was  ever  given  them  l)y  any  formal 
instnmient,  but  a  fact  well  known,  and  ascertained  by  many 
persons  of  credit  and  reputation  in  the  province,  is  that  the 
He  aux  Cochons  was  granted  about  the  year  1753,  which 
grant  was  afterwards  revoked  upon  tiie  representations  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Detroit  that  this  island  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  them  to  receive  their  cattle  in  summer  to 
avoid  the  running  wild  in  the  woods,  or  the  Indians  destroy- 
ing them  in  any  of  their  drunken  Frolicks. 

"As  it  would  appear  the  grant  to  Mr.  McDougall  was 
immediately  from  His  Majesty,  I  thought  it  right  to  give 
your  Lordship  the  earliest  information  of  what  has  oorne  to 
my  knowledge  about  that  matter." 


The  protest  bears  the  names  of  many  old  French  settlers, 
the  descendants  of  whom  are  prominent  in  the  Detroit  of 
today,  though  in  some  instances  the  orthcgraphy  has  been 
slightly  changed:  Denoye,  Miloche,  Oulette,  Lesperance, 
Langlois,  Derouillard,  Delisle,  Dequindre,  Labrosse,  Chapo- 
ton.  The  Campeau  family  was  represented  by  Jacques, 
Louis,  Simmonet  and  Baptiste,  pere  and  fils. 

In  the  fo.llowing  May,  McDougall  wrote  to  the  earl  of 
Hillsborough :  "By  a  paragraph  of  a  letter  from  the  Hon'ble 
Major.-Gen.  Thomas  Gage,  commander  in  chief  of  his 
majesty's  forces  in  North  America,  to  the  Hon'ble  Major 
Thomas  Bruce,  of  the  60th  regt.,  commanding  at  this  post, 
I  understand  that  his  excellency  has  given  it  as  his  opinion 
that  the  grant  given  me  of  Hogg  Island  by  his  majesty  and 

128  ■  .  „_ 


council,  referred  to  and  confirmed  by  the  express  orders 
of  the  commander  in  cliief  in  a  letter  to  Captain  Turnbull, 
then  commanding  at  the  fort,  that  I  should,  in  consequence 
of  an  ill-supported  claim  made  by  some  inhabitants  of  this 
place  to  said  island  as  a  common,  give  up  my  right  and 
property  to  be  decided  by  arbitration.  I  hope  your  lord- 
ship will  be  good  enough  to  excuse  me  for  declining  to 
leave  what  I  think  my  property,  with  the  improvements 
thereto,  agreeable  to  the  tennor  of  my  grant  to  such  a 
decision. 

"My  lord,  from  your  well  known  abilities  to  distribute 
strict  justice  to  every  subject  within  the  limits  of  your  admin- 
istration, I  have  great  reason  to  hope  my  past  service  and 
the  justice  of  my  cause,  may  in  some  degree  entitle  me  to 
your  lordship's  protection." 


McDougall  sent  with  this  letter  a  memorial,  setting  forth 
that  the  grant  was  coupled  with  the  provisos  that  the  transfer 
to  McDougall  must  not  give  umbrage  to  the  Indians,  and 
that  the  improvements  made  by  McDougall  at  the  island 
be  "applied  to  the  more  effectual  and  easy  supply  of  His 
Majesty's  fort  and  garrison  at  Detroit." 

McDougall  says  he  was  aware  that  no  absolute  grant 
could  be  given,  because  Detroit  was  outside  the  boundary 
line  laid  down  by  his  majesty  and  parliament  in  1763,  but 
he  was  contented  to  accept  of  an  order  of  the  council,  judg- 
ing it  equally  good  as  a  real  deed. 

His  majesty  referred  the  matter  to  the  commander-in-chief 
at  Detroit,  and  told  him  to  put  McDougall  in  possession  of 
the  island  or  not,  as  he  judged  equitable.    The  commandant 


129 


decided  in  favor  of  McDougall,  and  he  entered  into  pos- 
session of  the  island. 

To  clear  away  the  clouds  upon  his  title,  McDouj^all,  on 
May  4,  1769,  called  the  Indians  together  in  council  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  officers  of  the  garrision,  "at  which  time 
he  received  a  solemn  deed  for  the  said  island,  which  cost 
him  very  considerably  both  in  presents  and  provisions." 

McDougall  declares  that  when  Col.  Gladwin  was  in  com- 
mand, 1762-4,  the  inhabitants  never  pretended  to  have  the 
least  title  or  claim  to  the  island,  and  it  was  Gladwin's  "pub- 
lick  orders  tluit  no  cattle  should  be  put  upon  the  island 
without  his  liberty,  nor  should  anyone  cut  wood  or  hay  on 
the  island  on  any  pretense  whatever."  This  order  was  con- 
tinued in  force  by  Col.  Campbell,  who  succeeded  Gladwin. 


Attached  to  the  memorial  was  the  following  Indian  deed, 
executed  in  the  presence  of  witnesses  at  the  council  at  the 
fort:  .    ' 

"This  indenture  made  by  and  between  Lieutenant  George 
MacDougall,  late  of  the  60  Regiment  of  the  one  part,  and 
Oketckewandng,  Conthawyin,  Ottowatchkin,  chiefs  of  the 
Ottawas  and  Chippewa  nations  of  Indians,  of  the  other 
])art,  do  for  ourselves  and  by  the  consent  of  the  whole  nation 
of  Indians,  witnesseth  the  said  chiefs  for  and  in  consider- 
ation of  five  barrels  of  rum,  three  roles  of  tobacco,  three 
l^ounds  of  Vermillion  and  a  belt  of  wampum,  and  three 
barrels  of  rum  and  three  pounds  of  paint  when  possession 
was  taken,  valued  194  pounds  10  shillings,  current  money 
of  the  province  of  New  York,  to  them  in  hand  paid,  the 

-    -130* 


receipt  wliereof  the  said  Indian  chiefs  doth  hereby  acknowl- 
edge, hath  granted,  bargained,  sold,  alienated  and  confimied, 
and  by  these  presents  do  hereby  grant,  bargain,  sell,  alien 
and  confinn  unto  the  said  George  MacDougall,  his  heirs 
and  assigns  forever  the  aforesaid  island,  that  he  may  settle, 
cultivate  or  otherwise  employ  it  to  his  majesty's  advantage, 
as  he  shall  think  proper,  the  aforesaid  island  in  the  Detroit 
River,  about  three  miles  above  the  fort,  together  with  all 
houses,  out  houses,  appurtenances  whatsoever  on  the  said 
island,  messuage  or  tenement  and  premises  belonging  or  in 
any  way  appertaining,  and  also  the  reversion  and  reversions, 
remainder  and  remainders,  rents  and  services  of  the  said 
premises  and  every  part  thereof  and  all  estate,  right,  title, 
claim  and  demand  whatsoever,  of  them,  the  said  Indians, 
of,  in  and  to  the  said  messuage  and  tenement  and  premises 
and  every  part  thereof,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said  mes- 
suage or  tenement  and  all  and  singular  the  said  premises 
above  mentioned  and  every  part  and  parcel  thereof  with 
the  appurtenances  unto  the  said  George  MacDougall,  his 
heirs  and  assigns  forever,  and  we,  the  above  mentioned 
chiefs,  do  hereby  engage  ourselves,  our  heirs,  our  nations, 
executors,  administrators  and  assigns  forever  to  warrant 
and  defend  the  property  of  the  said,  island  unto  the  said 
George  MacDougall,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators, 
and  assigns  forever  against  us  or  any  person  whatsoever 
claiming  any  right  or  title  thereto." 


This  document  was  probably  understood  by  the  chiefs 
and  those  they  represented  to  the  extent  of  the  consideratio!i 
in  rum  and  tobacco,  but  they  traced  their  totems  at  tl'.e 


131 


bottom.  An  efifort  to  determine  the  species  of  the  animals 
they  undertook  to  draw  forces  the  conclusion  that  they 
were  inexperienced  in  the  totem  business  or  had  been 
sampling  the  consideration. 

Lord  Hillsborough  forwarded  the  memorial  and  deed 
to  George  III.  and  his  council,  but  it  probably  got  into  a 
pigeonhole,  for  nothing  more  was  heard  of  them.  It  is 
possible  that  George  hinted  to  Lieut.-Gov.  Hamilton  that 
McDougall  was  to  be  given  the  dead  state,  for  August  12, 
1778,  he  wrote  to  Lieut.-Gov.  Cramahe  in  relation  to  the 
Hog  Island  papers,  and  said: 

"If  Capt.  McDougall  should  prosecute  his  pretensions  in 
the  courts,  I  want  you  to  produce  the  claims  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, which  in  my  humble  opinion  are  sufficient  to  support 
their  title.  An  island  being  a  royalty  if  it  has  ever  been 
granted  from  the  crown  as  a  common,  I  apprehend  the 
inhabitants  have  no  power  to  surrender  that  right,  as  their 
posterity  would  thereby  be  injured  past  redress." 

September  5,  1780,  Maj.  DePeyster,  then  the  command- 
ant at  Detroit,  had  Nathan  Williams  and  Jean  Baptiste 
Crainte,  able  master  carpenters,  appraise  the  buildings  Mc- 
Dougall had  erected  on  the  island,  and  then  dispossessed 
him.     The  appraisers  reported  as  follows: 

One  dwelHng  house ^250 

One       do        do      40 

One       do        do      10 

An  old  bam  without  a  top 18 

A  fowl  house 6 

Some  timber 10 

Total i334 

133 


A  month  later  De  Peyster  wrote  to  Gen.  Haldiniantl  that 
he  had  obeyed  orders  and  placed  loyalists  upon  Hog  Island, 
and  added:  "The  island  is,  however,  sufficient  for  two 
substantial  families  only,  there  being-  much  meadow  ground 
and  swamp  on  it,  and  being  absolutely  necessary  to  preserve 


a  run  for  the  king's  catde,  being  the  only  place  of  security. 
I  have  sent  your  excellency  a  sketch  of  the  island,  which  is 
only  768  acres.  If  I  had  placed  more  families  there  it  Avould 
have  augmented  the  expenses,  and  not  have  been  cultivated 
so  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  government." 

McDougall's  heirs,  however,  got  possession  again-  in 
1784.  Peace  had  been  declared,  and  Lieut.-Gov.  Hay 
saw  a  fine  opportunity  to  be  inexpensibly  generous  and 


133 


niagnanitiiously  just.  He  was  confident  that  when  the 
boundary  Hne  was  drawn  Hog  Island  would  be  a  portion 
of  the  United  States,  so  he  turned  the  disputed  territory 
over  to  George  and  John  Robert  McDougall,  sons  of  the 
old  veteran  lieutenant  of  his  majesty's  24th. 

November  11,  1793,  the  latter  sold  his  undivided  half  of 
the  island  to  William  Macomb  for  818  pounds  and  16  shil- 
lings, and  April  7  following  Macomb  bought  the  other 
half  for  776  pounds.  Macomb  died  in  1796,  and  beciueathed 
the  island  to  his  sons,  John,  William  and  David.  When 
Detroit  was  evacuated  by  the  British  and  the  island  came 
under  the  government  of  congress,  all  of  the  old  claims, 
Indian,  French  and  English,  were  ignored  and  the  title 
coniinned  to  the  Macombs.  Tlie  shares  of  John  and  Wil- 
liam passed  to  their  brother,  and  March  3,  1817,  David  B. 
Macomb  deeded  the  island  to  Barnabas  Campau  for  $5,000. 
Tlie  remainder  of  the  history  of  the  He  aux  Cochons  is 
uneventful  and  modem. 


134 


THE  FIRST  EDITOR  HERE  WAS  FATHER  GABRIEL 
RICHARD,  THE  PASTOR  OF  STE.  ANNE'S. 


FATHER  GABRIEL  RICHARD. 
From  a  Cut  in  Possession  of  C.  M.  Burton. 

Detroit's  first  editor  was  Father  Gabriel  Richard,  the 
CathoUc  priest,  the  pastor  of  Ste.  Anne's  church. 

After  an  interval  of  60  years,  Fr.  Richard  peers  out  of 
his  picture  grim  and  ancient,  standing  beside  holy  candles. 


13s 


Thin  and  cadaverous,  well  he  might  be,  for  the  Hfe  he  led 
would  have  killed  a  horse. 

The  first  newspaper  printed  ni  Detroit,  or,  indeed,  west 
of  the  Alleghenies,  dates  back  to  the  year  1809,  the  first 
page  of  which  is  here  reproduced.  It  was  only  with  g^reat 
pains  Miat  the  Journal  was  enabled  to  find  a  copy  of  this 
rare  paper.  It  is  known  that  there  are  only  four  copies 
of  Father  Richard's  paper  in  existence,  oie  of  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  in  a  museum  or  library  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
while  the  other  three  are  widely  scattered.  There  is  a  copy 
in  the  hands  of  Mr.  H.  E.  Baker  and  Mr.  James  H.  Stone, 
the  veteran  editors,  who  own  it  jointly,  and  who  long  ago 
decided,  when  they  are  done  with  it,  to  deposit  it  in  the 
Detroit  I'ublic  Library.  But  in  the  meantime  they  value  it 
as  rubies,  it  is  framed  and  kept  under  a  glass,  and  the 
inflexible  rule  is  to  allow  no  copies  or  tracings  to  be  made. 

The  "Essay"  is  a  peculiar  looking  thing,  for  a  newspaper, 
to  modern  eyes.  It  has  the  appearance  of  an  opera  house 
program  or  some  such  trifle  as  that.  It  is  only  four  columns 
wide  and  is  written  in  old-fashioned  script  type,  the  kind 
with  the  long  "s,"  such  as  the  modern  reader  is  always 
mistaking  for  a  letter  "f." 

The  paper  contains  only  one  column  of  advertising,  and 
that  refers  to  books  of  the  printing  establishment,  and  was 
of  course  inserted  without  pay.  The  revenue  was,  then, 
to  be  derived  from  the  subscription  list  solely.  There  is 
not  a  personal  item  in  the  paper,  and  scarcely  a  piece  of 
news,  in  the  modern  acceptation  of  the  term.  There  are 
a  few  paragraphs,  clipped  from  other  papers  east,  purporting 
to  be  news  from  the  old  world,  but  are  just  6y  days  old. 

136 


There  are  a  few  scraps  from  New  York,  but  they  are  not 
of  great  or  exciting  interest.  The  remainder  of  the  paper 
consists  of  pious  reflections  and  philosophic  moraUzings 
on  such  themes  as  "Happiness,"  "The  Portrait  of  a  True 
Friend,"  "Character,''  and  such  topics.  The  only  item 
written  for  home  use,  apparently,  is  one  which  tells  that 
the  girls'  school,  of  Ste.  Anne's,  is  about  to  open,  and  parents 
are  urged  to  send  their  girls  to  school.  Some  of  the  articles 
in  the  paper  are  written  in  French. 

Father  Richard  was  born  October  15,  1764.  His  father 
was  a  gentleman  of  distinction,  and  his  mother  learned.  He 
received  ecclesiastical  orders  in  1790.  He  left  France  on 
account  of  the  Revolution,  and  first  settled  in  Baltimore. 
In  due  course  he  was  called  as  a  missionary,  and  visited 
the  remote  northwestern  frontiers,  until  1798,  when  he  came 
to  Detroit  and  founded  the  present  church  of  Ste.  Anne. 

While  on  a  visit  to  Boston,  1809,  he  bought  a  printing 
press  and  some  type  and  published  the  first  paper  printed 
west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  the  first  number  appear- 
ing August  31,  1809,  called  the  "Michigan  Essay,  or  Impar- 
tial Observer."  The  same  year  he  published  the  first  prayer 
book.  Several  numbers  of  the  "Essay''  were  printed,  but 
the  population  being  scattered  he  thought  best  to  suspend 
publication,  there  being  no  way  to  circulate  the  paper.  All 
the  printing  was  executed  under  his  personal  supervision. 

The  "Essay"  was  composed  of  four  columns  to  a  page 
9^  by  10  inches  in  size.  There  are  only  four  copies  in 
existence.  Some  accounts  say  that  Father  Richard  brought 
his  press  overland  from  Baltimore.  Among  the  religious 
books  printed  were :    La  Joumale  du  Chretien,  181 1 ;  Epistle 

137 


and  Gospel  for  Sundays  and  Holidays,  1812;  a  catechism. 
The  press  of  Father  Richard  was  subsequently  used  for 
printing  deeds  for  the  governor  and  judges  of  the  territory, 
and  when  the  English  took  possession  they  had  Brock's 
proclamation  printed  on  this  press,  it  being  the  only  estab- 
lishment of  this  kind  in  the  northwest. 

The  office  of  the  "Essay"  was  removed  after  June  11,  1805, 
the  day  of  the  big  Detroit  lire,  to  Springwells,  upon  what 
was  later  a  part  of  the  Stanton  farm.  One  part  of  the  house 
was  used  to  live  in,  another  part  was  for  the  chapel,  another 
for  the  printing  office,  and  still  another  for  the  school.* 

Fadier  Richard's  advocacy  of  American  principles,  181 2, 
and  his  denunciation  of  the  British,  excited  great  indig- 
nation in  Canada,  and  he  was  soon  afterwards  seized  and 
imprisoned  at  Sandwich,  and  was  held  captive  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  but  during  the  interA^al  was  allowed  to 
labor  among  the  Indians.  On  his  return  to  Michigan  he 
found  the  people  in  great  destitution,  and  went  about  col- 
lecting money  and  food  in  their  behalf.  In  1823  he  was 
elected  delegate  to  congress,  being  the  first  Roman  Catholic 
priest  to  receive  that  honor.  He  won  the  esteem  of  the 
members,  notably  Henry  Clay,  who,  when  the  abbe  did 
not  make  his  meaning  clear,  because  of  his  defective  use  of 
English,  frequently  repeated  his  arguments  to  the  house. 
He  was  defeated  for  re-election  in  1826,  and  afterwards 
applied  himself  to  works  of  piety  and  patriotism,  built  Indian 
schools  at  Green  Bay,  Arbre  Crochc,  and  St.  Joseph's.  He 
studied  Sicard's  method  of  teaching  the  deaf  and  dumb  and 
delivered  lectures.  In  1832  he  projected  the  foundation 
of  a  college.     During  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  Father 


*The  writer  is  in  error.    The  printing  press  was  not  brouglit  to 
Detroit  until  several  years  after  tlie  fire  of  1805.— [C  M.  B. 

138 


Richard  was  almost  constantly  on  his  feet  day  and  night, 
until  he  was  prostrated  by  disease,  September  9,  and  dieii 
September  13,  1832. 


Father  Richard's  introduction  to  the  people  is  brief  and 
to  the  point.     He  hopes  to  fulfil  a  long-felt  want.     He  says: 

THE  ESSAY, 

Detroit.  August  31,  1809, 
The  Public  are  respectfully  informed  that  THE  ESSAY 
will  be  conducted  in  the  utmost  impartiality;  that  it  will 
not  espouse  any  political  party;  but  fairly  and  candidly 
communicate  whatever  may  be  deemed  worthy  of  insertion 
— whether  Foreign,  Domestic  or  Social. 

*     *     *     A  noble  aim  be  ours, 
To  mend  the  heart,  to  raise  the  pow'rs. 
To  show  the  world,  on  one  extensive  plan 
All  that  is  good  and  great  and  dear  to  man ; 
The  patriot's  plans  and  councils  to  display, 
To  point  where  glory  shapes  the  warrior's  way. 
And  as  fresh  wonders  burst  from  every  clime. 
To  mark  the  unfoldings  of  eventful  Time, 
That  while  our  youth,  with  sparkling  eyes  shall  read, 
How  heroes  conquer,  or  more  nobly  bleed, 
llieir  infant  souls  may  catch  the  sacred  flame 
And  join  their  country's  love  to  that  of  Fame. 
Gentlemen  of  talents  are  invited  to  contribute  to  our 
columns,   whatever  they  suppose  will  be  acceptable  and 
beneficial — yet  always  remembering  that  nothing  of  a  cor- 
rosive nature  will  be  admitted.  THE  PUBLISHER. 


139 


Father  Richard  had  a  "funny"  department  in  his  paper, 
under  a  big-  headUne,  thus: 

HUMOROUS. 

Count  Tracey,  complaining  to  Foote  that  a  man  had 
ruined  his  character,  "So  much  the  better,"  repHed  the  wit, 
"it  was  a  d — n  bad  one,  and  the  sooner  destroyed  the  better." 


A  mortal  fever  once  prevailed  upon  a  ship  at  sea;  and  a 
negro  fellow  was  appointed  to  throw  overboard  the  bodies 
of  those  who  died,  from  time  to  time.  One  day,  when 
the  captain  was  on  deck,  he  saw  the  negro  dragging  out 
of  the  forecastle  the  body  of  a  sick  man,  who  was  struggling 
violently  to  free  himself  from  the  negro's  grasp,  and  remon- 
strating against  the  cruelty  of  burying  him  alive.  "What 
are  you  going  to  do  with  that  man,  you  black  d — 1,"  said 
the  captain,  "don't  you  see  that  he  moves  and  speaks?" 
"Why,  yes,  massa,"  replied  the  negro.  "I  know  he  say 
he  no  dead,  but  he  always  lie  so  like  h — 1,  nobody  nebber 
knows  when  to  blieve  him." 


The  "E^say"  has  its  poet's  corner,  the  word  POETRY 
enscrolled  in  an  attractive  wreath  of  flowers.  As  usual, 
there  is  the  big  black  headline,  thus : 


140 


POETICAL. 

(Written  in  the  Country.) 

The  eve's  in  dusty  mantle  dres'd 

The  day's  last  gleam  just  streaks  the  west 

Till  slowly  sinking  from  the  hills 

A  deep'ning  shade  the  prospect  fills. 

No  sound  to  strike  the  ear  doth  move 
From  rural  pipe  or  vocal  grove, 
The  flocks  and  herds  to  rest  are  gone, 
Tlie  hamlet's  wonted  sports  are  done. 

The  gathering  clouds  now  close  arrange 
As  w^aiting  for  the  coming  change 
Till  Luna  and  her  train  in  sight 
The  sober  evening  yields  to  light. 

OH  HAPPINESS. 

Oh,  Happi  .ess!  where  is  thy  resort? 

Amidst  the  splendor  of  a  court? 

Or  dost  thou  more  delight  to  dwell 

With  humble  hermit  in  his  cell. 

In  search  of  truth?  or  doth  thou  rove 

Thro  Plato's  academic  grove? 

Or  else  with  Epicurus  gay 

Laugh  at  the  farces  mortals  play? 

Or  with  the  graces  doth  thou  lead 

The  sportive  dance  along  the  mead? 

Or  in  Bellona's  bloody  car 

Exult  amid  the  scenes  of  war? 

No  more  I'll  search,  no  more  I'll  mind  thee. 

Fair  Fugitive — I  cannot  find  thee ! 

OMAR. 

MI 


Among  the  miscellany,  under  bold  headlines,  is  the  fol 
lowing: 

TRUE  POLITENESS, 

It  is  an  evenness  of  soul,  that  excludes  at  the  same  time 
insensibility  and  too  much  earnestness — it  supposes  a  quick 
discernment  of  the  different  characters,  tempers,  miseries, 
or  perfections  of  mankind;  and  by  a  sweet  condescension, 
adapts  itself  to  each  man's  case.     *     *     ''■ 

HAPPINESS -A  FRAGMENT. 

The  scenes  of  my  life  have  been  sad,  said  a  poor  French- 
man, who  had  scrambled  up  one  of  the  most  precipitous 
mountains  of  North  Wales  and  was  now  pensively  leaning 
upon  his  stick  and  lending  a  mournful  look  toward  a  wide 
expanse  of  waters,  which  bounded  his  prospect.  "The 
scenes  of  my  life  have  been  sad,"  silently  repeated  he,  and 
a  tear  stole  softly  down  his  cheek,  as  the  painful  recollec- 
tion of  the  past  struck  his  soul — I  have  pursued  the  bubble. 
Happinv-^s,  all  over  the  world,  and  have  lived  but  to  find 
it  a  delusion,  a  phantom  of  the  brain.  T  have  suffered  the 
tortures  of  the  inquisition,  in  Spain—  I  have  been  chained 
to  the  galleys  in  Italy — I  have  starved  on  the  mountains  of 
Switzerland —  have  languished  beneath  the  Republican 
tyranny  of  France — and  lastly,  have  been  udiipped  as  a 
vagabond,  in  England. 

*  1=  *  Beneath  the  wide  spreading  branches,  he  con- 
structed a  simple  hut;  his  meat  was  supplied  by  the  roots 
and    herbs  of    the  valley;    and  the  crystal  spring,  wdiich 


142 


bubbled  by  his  dwelling,  afforded  him  a  wholesome  bever- 
age. Every  evening  beheld  him  sinking  blissfully  to  repose 
on  h's  bed  of  leaves;  and  every  dawning  day  saw  him  rise 
refreshed  and  cheerful.  Jn  a  short  time  he  discovered  that 
he  was  happy.  '''  *  '''  After  nuising  some  time  on  the 
strangeness  of  the  fact  he  found  that  the  miseries  of  his 
past  life  were  to  be  imputed  to  himself;  that  they  arose  from 
his  own  restlessness  and  ambition ; — and  that  the  true  phil- 
osopher's stone,  which  converts  everything  it  touches  into 
gold,  the  real  source  of  all  human  happiness  is* — content- 
ment. 


HUSBANDRY. 

A  receipt  to  keep  cattle  healthy  by  rubbing  tar  at  the 
root  of  the  horn. 


A  WANDERER'S  COMPLAINT. 

A  brief  article  dealing  with  one  who  is  equally  restless 
everywhere. 


EARLY  RISING. 

Anecdote  telling  how  BufTon  was  pulled  out  of  bed  by 
his  sen'ant,  Joseph,  in  order  to  learn  the  value  of  time. 


'43 


MISCELLANEOUS, 

A  sentimental   article   called   "The   Portrait  of  a   Real 
Friend.'' 


MARKET  REPORTS. 

Rice,  7  dos  60  cts  per  cwt. 

Log-wood,  $12.50  do. 

Fustick,  $9.60  do.  I 

Coflfee,  45@53  cts  do. 

Pimento,  43  cts  do. 

Pepper,  30  cts  do. 

Sugar,  muscovado,  24@25  do. 

Qayed,     do     30@32  do. 


Father  Richard  did  not  do  a  big  advertising  business,  nor 
does  he  state  the  sworn  paid  circulation.  His  only  "ads" 
are  these: 

At  the  Detroit  Printing  Office. 

Pious  Guide. 

Perrin's  French  Grammar. 

Book  of  Tales  (66  engravings)  3  vols. 

Columbian  Orator.   . 

Chambeau's  French  Grammar. 

Wakefield's  Family  Tour  Thro'  Great  Britain. 

Way  to  Wealth,  Dr.  Franklin. 


144 


Youthful  Recreations. 

Youthful  Sports. 

Simple  Stories, 

English  and  French  Catechisms. 

Moral  Fables. 

Philadelphia  Primer. 

Footsteps  in  Natural  History  of  Beasts. 

Familiar  Lessons. 

Road  to  Learning. 

Portraits  of  Curious  Characters. 

Jack  of  All  Trades. 

Father's  Gift. 

Letters  From  London. 

True  Piety. 

Garden  of  the  Soul, 

Following  Christ. 

A  Papist  Misrepresented. 

Geographical  Cards. 

Vade  Mecum,  Etc.,  Etc. 


'45 


ACROSS  THE  RIVER. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  U,  1696.1 


INDIAN  STONt  IMAGES. 


Historic  facts  associated  with  the  primitive  town  of  Sand- 
wich are  fast  fading-  into  oblivion,  because  Canadian  histori- 
ans have  failed  to  perpetuate  them.  Attentive  only  to  strong 
strategic  points  as  Quebec,  King-ston  and  Little  York, 
historians  failed  to  give  the  only  town  of  any  importance 
in  western  Canada  at  the  time  the  British  evacuated  Detroit 
any  place  on  the  pages  of  history.  Instead  of  delving  into 
musty  documents  for  records  of  a  century  and  a  half  ago 
they  must  be  learned  from  the  oldest  residents  whose  grand- 
mothers told  them  of  the  events. 


146 


The  principal  settlements  along  the  Canadian  frontier  lOO 
years  ago  were  from  Sandwich  westward  to  where  the 
Detroit  River  empties  into  Lake  Erie.  Like  nearly  all 
Canada  at  that  time,  the  French  nationality  predominated 
and  the  religion  was  Roman  Catholic.  That  is  why  Can- 
ada did  not  join  in  the  war  for  independence,  because  it 
preferred  to  be  ruled  by  Protestant  England,  many  thousand 
miles  away,  than  by  Protestant  United  States  so  near  at 
hand.  Without  the  discharge  of  a  Canadian  musket  Can- 
ada got  great  good  from  the  war  of  independence,  because 
Great  Britain,  instead  of  ruling  her  with  a  hand  of  iron,  as 
she  was  proceeding  to  do  after  the  conquest  of  Canada, 
was  forced  to  grant  her  many  concessions  to  keep  her  from 
joining  in  the  war  for  independence.  Had  Canadians  been 
allowed  the  making  of  their  own  country,  there  would 
have  been  no  Windsor,  and  Sandwich  would  have  been  the 
city  of  Western  Canada;  but  Detroit's  growth  drew  Can- 
adians to  the  ixiint  opposite  her.  Windsor  then  grew  into 
existence  and  grew  when  Detroit  grew. 


In  1775  Sandwich  wus  the  trading  post  in  western  Canada 
for  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  When  the  peace  negoti- 
ations which  succeeded  the  Revolutionary  war  were  com- 
pleted and  Michigan  was  ceded  by  the  British  to  the  United 
States,  many  persons  who  stubbornly  maintained  allegiance 
to  King  George  moved  across  the  river  and  settled  along 
the  frontier  from  Sandwich  to  Maiden.  It  was  then  that 
Sandwich  was  made  the  seat  of  government  for  the  western 
district,  composed  of  Essex,  Kent  and  Lambton  counties. 
Tlie  town  was  a  shipping  point.     All  settlers  were  along 

M7 


the  river  and  used  it  as  a  watenvay  in  the  absence  of  pass- 
able roads.  The  settler's  abode  was  a  log  hut  or  shanty, 
often  built  in  a  small  clearing  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
and  covered  with  bark  or  boughs.  The  nearest  mill  for 
grinding  grain  was  40  miles  away,  where  Chatham  now 
is.  That  there  was  little  or  no  money  was  shown  by  the 
fact  that  a  man  would  often  carry  a  bushel  of  corn  40  miles 
to  be  ground,  and  then  let  the  miller  take  his  toll  out  of 
it  instead  of  paying  him ;  and  so  he  had  to  carry  the  amount 
he  gave  in  toll  40  miles  for  nothing. 

The  settler  could  make  his  own  flour  by  pounding  the 
grain  in  the  hollow  of  a  hardwood  stump  or  grinding  it 
in  a  little  steel  mill  provided  by  the  government.  The  few 
roads  in  existence  in  the  swampy  land  were  "corduroy 
roads,"  many  of  which  can  yet  be  found.  Clothing  was 
home  spun  and  furniture  home  made,  as  also  were  carts 
and  sleds. 

"Logging  bees"  and  "raisings"  were  held  daily,  and  then 
distilled  liquors  were  used  in  quantities.  Once  in  a  long 
time  a  preacher  would  visit  the  ".sheep  in  the  wilderness," 
and  all  the  ceremonies  required  for  a  year  would  be  done. 
Children  would  be  baptized  and  marriages  performed. 
There  was  no  thought  given  to  education  when  the  settlers 
first  located  about  Sandwich.  Tlie  Jesuit  fathers,  principal 
among  whom  was  Father  La  Salle,  were  the  early  spiritual 
advisers  of  the  Catholics,  and  the  Jesuits  endured  much 
privation  to  minister  to  the  Indians.  Tliey  settled  at  Sand- 
wich nearly  200  years  ago.  All  along  the  Detroit  River 
they  planted  French  pear  trees.  There  were  thousands  of 
them,  and  they  grew  to  be  three  feet  in  diameter  and  70 

M8 


feet  liigli,  l)ut  there  are  now  less  than  a  score  of  the  trees. 
They  were  emblems  of  the  gospel  and  the  cross;  were 
nursed  by  the  tender  care  of  the  fathers  in  wet  moss  and 
intormingLvl  with  the  primeval  forest  on  both  sides  of  the 
river.  The  Jesuits  built  a  numiery  at  Sandwich,  whicii 
is  still  standing,  although  it  was  built  before  the  evacua- 
tion of  Detroit.  Later,  under  the  impression  that 
Sandwicii  would  be  the  city  of  Canada  west,  the  splen- 
did Catholic  church  and  the  celebrated  L' Assumption  col- 
lege were  built.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company's  building 
was  the  largest  in  those  parts,  being  five  stories  high.  Mc- 
intosh had  a  trading  post  above  VValkerville  lOO  years  ago, 
and  McGregors  and  Babys  were  conducting  general  stores 
at  Sandwich.  The  Askin  family  were  also  traders  and 
military  men  of  note.  The  Patterson  family  were  traders 
at  Petite  Cote,  below  Sandwich. 


The  dwelling  around  which  cluster  the  most  romantic 
associations  is  the  Baby  mansion  on  the  river  at  Sandwich. 
Through  its  halls  and  corridors  has  sounded  the  voice  of 
Gen.  Brock,  Gen.  Proctor  and  of  the  forest  heroes,  Tecum- 
seh  and  Splitlog.  Gen.  Hull  made  it  his  headquarters  in 
1812,  and  a  year  later  was  a  prisoner  there.  Gen.  Harri- 
son, after  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  took  possession  of  it 
and  took  Baby  a  prisoner.  It  was  built  over  100  years  ago, 
and  is  now  used  as  a  boarding  house. 

St.  John's  Episcopal  church  was  built  at  Sandwich  at 
the  time  of  the  evacuation.  Richard  Pollard,  who  was 
sheriff  and  registrar,  officiated  as  pastor.  Pollard  had  been 
sheriff  and  registrar  at  Detroit,  but  he  was  a  loyalist.     When 


149 


Dclruii  was  evacuated  sucli  reeurds  as  were  necessary  lu 
the  new  settler,  and  which  were  kept  at  the  Detroit  offices 
of  the  shcriiT  and  registrar,  were  duplicated  and  transferred 
to  the  Sandwich  office.  The  court  of  assize  was  held  once 
a  year  at  Sandwich  for  the  three  counties,  a  territory  of 
2,817  square  miles. 

While  the  settlers  on  the  Canadian  side  were  French 
mainly,  the  business  men  were  Scotch.  A  century  ago 
there  were  20,000  inhabitants  in  Canada,  and  in  other  parts 
of  Canada  the  English  and  Scotcli  were  the  traders.  Few 
of  them  were  successful,  because  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  the  comforts  of  the  old  land,  and  knew  little  about  the 
ways  of  the  new  country.  The  U.  E.  Loyalists,  when  they 
crossed  the  border,  were  given  grants  of  200  acres  each, 
and,  being  thrifty  and  used  to  privations,  prospered.  It 
was  not  until  there  were  2,200  people  in  Detroit  that  Wind- 
sor became  a  setdement.  Then  she  began  to  draw  from 
Sandwich  and  the  west,  and  the  firms  of  Cameion  &  McDon- 
ald, James  Dougall,  Blackadder  &  Brown,  James  Lambie, 
and  the  late  John  Curry,  formed  the  business  portion  of 
the  town. 

The  only  ferries  then  v/eie  two  log  canoes,  run  by  Pierre 
St.  Amour,  who  kept  a  hotel  where  Ouellette  avenue  and 
Sandwich  street  now  are,  and  by  Francis  Labalaine.  The 
price  for  the  round  trip  was  four  times  the  cost  that  it  is 
by  ferry  steamer  now. 

The  Ottawa  Indians,  whose  chief  was  Pontiac,  inhabited 
the  Canadian  side  much  of  the  time.  Pontiac  had  slept  in 
the  Baby  mansion  as  a  guest.  Their  spear  heads  and  arrow 
points  of  flint  are  often  found  along  the  river  bank.     G.  R. 

ISO 


M.  Pentland,  of  Peters  street,  Sandwich,  has  hundreds  ol 
IntUan  reUcs.  One  of  these  is  the  head  of  a  gud  whose 
mouth  is  open  and  eyes  partly  closed,  in  the  act  of  blessing 
the  IrJians,  and  who  was  worshiped  by  the  Indians  then 
inhabiting  Essex  county. 

The  first  execution  ut  Sandwich  was  over  loo  years  ago. 
A  white  man  and  a  negro  were  gibbeted  on  the  highway  for 
nujrdering  a  girl  in  Kent  county. 


THE  FORT  IN  1792. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  U.  1896.) 

Tliere  is  no  report  upon  the  condition  of  the  fortress  at  the 
time  it  became  United  States  property,  but  it  must  have  been 
in  a  sorry  plight,  and  well  nigh  useless  for  defensive  purposes. 
Possibly  this  is  the  reason  why  the  residents  said  nothing 
about  the  acquisition  in  their  letters. 

The  last  report  upon  its  condition  to  be  found  in  the  Cana- 
dian archives  is  in  series  B,  volume  60,  page  228.  It  was 
made  by  Benjamin  Fisher,  Capt.  Commanding,  Royal  En- 
gineers, in  the  fall  of  1792,  and  is  as  follov/s: 

"Detroit:  The  principal  services  now  executing  at  this 
place  consist  in  such  repairs  as  are  more  immediately  neces- 
sary to  the  officers'  and  soldiers*  barracks;  erecting  a 
flagstaff,  removing  12  platforms,  and , repairing  5  others 
in  Fort  Lernoult. 

"With  respect  to  such  further  services  as  may  be  neces- 
sary for  the  year  1793,  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  for  me  to 
determine  without  knowing  to  what  extent    government 

151 


may   choose   to    go   in    re-establishing   the    post,    or   the 
importance  in  which  it  is  viewed. 

"The  decayed  state  of  the  buildings,  and  the  insecurity 
of  the  defenses  of  the  town  from  the  ruinous  condition  of 
the  blockhouses  and  picketing,  has  been  already  reported 
on  by  board  of  survey,  and  since  more  fully  by  Lieut. 
Pilkinton  of  the  Royal  Engineers.  I  shall  therefore  state 
generally  the  condition  of  the  works  and  buildings  in  the 
fort,  citadel,  town  and  naval  yard,  accompanying  the  report 
with  separate  estimates,  and  submitting  to  better  judgment 
the  propriety  of  incurring  so  heavy  an  expense  as  appears 
requisite  to  reinstate  the  works  and  buildings  of  the  post. 

"Fort  Lernoult — The  greater  part  of  the  interior  slope 
of  the  ramparts  requires  fresh  sodding,  the  magazine  to 
be  repaired,  and  the  posi  lOn  of  the  entrance  changed.  The 
sheds  for  the  fixed  ammunition  are  bad,  and  from  their 
proximity  to  other  buildings  and  to  the  magazine,  endanger 
the  safety  of  the  place  in  case  of  fire.  A  new  one  is,  there- 
fore, proposed.  New  drip-board  and  several  new  water- 
spouts are  wanting  to  the  barracks.  The  sallyport  is  quite 
rotten,  unsafe,  and  injurious  to  the  health  of  men 
occasionally  confined  there;  the  main  drain  very  offensive; 
the  fraize  and  picketing-  in  the  ditch  mucli  decayed;  the 
ditch  requires  in  many  parts  to  be  cleaned,  and  the 
counterscarp  repaired.  The  grate,  bridge  and  abattis  are 
good.  The  magazine  contiguous  to  the  fort  wants  some 
trifling  repairs  for  its  security,  for  it  is  to  be  apprehended 
from  the  whole  tenor  of  the  building  that  it  will  not  be  of 
long  duration.  >    > 


15a 


"Citadel:  The  barracks  in  general  require  plastering, 
wiiitewashing  and  repairs  to  the  heartiis  and  chimneys;  32 
new  sashes  are  wanted,  as  also  two  additional  ones  for  the 
hospital  to  give  a  freer  communication  of  air.  The  barrack 
stores  are  mostly  placed  in  the  upper  story  of  the  men's 
barracks,  as  are  also  the  artillery  stores.  The  latter,  from 
their  great  weight,  not  only  render  such  a  disposition  very 
inconvenient,  but  endangf^r  great  the  building,  which  is 
slight.  The  picketing  of  the  citadel  and  woodyard  is 
wholly  deci:ved. 

"Town:  The  picketing  on  the  water  side  is  good,  but 
from  Fort  Lernoult  to  the  water  on  the  east  side  is  qrite 
rotten,  and  in  many  places  supported  by  props.  The  same 
on  the  west  side,  excepting  the  salient  parts  contiguous 
to  the  blockhouses.  The  blockhouses  Nos.  i  and  2  are 
wholly  decayed,  and  unsafe  even  to  the  removal  of  the 
cannon  now  in  them.  The  water  blockhouse  is  secure  for 
the  present,  but  not  worthy  of  considerable  repairs.  West 
blockhouse  may  last  some  time  with  common  repairs,  but 
the  one  in  the  barrack  yard,  which  at  present  serves  as 
commissary  and  barrack  master's  stores,  is  quite  decayed. 
These  blockhouses  are  at  present  raised  on  upright  frames 
12  feet  high.  If  they  are  to  be  reinstated  I  should  recom- 
mend an  alteration  in  the  construction,  and  that  their  lower 
frame  might  be  converted  irto  a  storeroom  or  useful 
apartment,  which  would  add  but  little  to  the  expense.  The 
east  platform  by  the  river  is  on  too  slight  a  frame  to  bo 
secure,  and  the  west  platfomi  is  wholly  rotten.  This  latter 
is  commanded  by  a  bank,  which  is  an  accumulation  of 
rubbish  from  the   town,   and  should  be   removed.     The 


IS3 


Indian  store  is  so  wholly  decayed  that  any  repairs  would 
be  injudicious.  A  frame  building,  60  feet  by  30,  is  recom- 
mended for  the  accommodation  of  Indian  artillery  and 
storekeeper  general's  stores.  It  may  be  eligibly  placed  in 
the  citadel  behind  the  barracks.  The  weighty  stores  being 
in  the  lower  part,  frame  work  will  be  sufficient.  The 
artillery  carriages  require  painting.  Twenty  traveling 
magazines  are  wanting.  Ladders  and  sentry  boxes  much 
wanted. 

"Naval  yard:  Is  surrounded  only  by  a  slight  picketing, 
and  without  the  protection  of  the  garrison.  The  naval 
storehouse  is  so  completely  decayed  that  props  are  fixed 
on  all  sides  to  prevent  its  falling.  The  building  at  present 
consists  of  two  stories,  and  is  85  feet  by  22.  The  lower 
story  is  the  store,  and  the  upper  one  a  working  place  for 
riggers.  Both  places  are  sufficiently  large  for  the  purpose 
to  which  they  are  applied,  but  as  a  fire  in  winter  is  necessary 
for  the  riggers,  I  thought  it  advisable  to  have  a  detached 
building  fcr  them,  and  have  estimated  accordingly.  This 
building  is,  I  apprehend,  so  essentially  necessary  for  the 
fitting  out  and  repair  of  the  vessels  on  the  lakes  that  it 
is  necessary  it  should  be  early  attended  to.  If  it  is  judged 
expedient  to  reconstruct  the  naval  storehouse  in  the  way 
proposed,  I  should  recommend  a  deviation  in  the  line  of 
picketing,  advancing  at  the  same  time  the  blockhouse  No. 
2,  for  should  it  not  inclose  a  more  eligible  spot  for  a  dock- 
yard than  at  present  occupied,  it  at  least  offers  a  secure 
and  convenient  situation  for  the  naval  buildings. 

"I  have  oflfered  little  more  than  is  necessary  for  the 
re-establishing  the  works  and  buildings  of  the  post.     How 

154 


far  the   present   circumstances   and   situation   of  it  render 
such  a  measure  advisable  is  not  for  me  to  determine." 


THE  OLD  LANDMARKS. 

( From  the  Detroit  journal  July  11,  1896.) 
A  retrospect  of  Detroit  for  the  last  hundred  years  properly 
includes  recollections  of  the  township  of  Springwells,  the 
greater  portion  of  which,  territorially,  has  been  absorbed 
into  the  city. 


DETROIT  IN  1838. 
From  an  En^'r.iving  Owned  by  C.  M.  Burton. 


155 


Fifty  years  ago  the  western  limits  of  Detroit  were  a  little 
beyond  Seventh  street.  The  only  highways  open  In  that 
direction  were  the  River  road,  the  Chicago  road,  now 
called  Michigan  avenue,  and  the  Grand  River  road.  The 
chief  thoroughfare  was  the  River  road,  for  the  country 
back  of  that  was  principally  forest.  The  heavy  growth  of 
timber,  the  clay  soil,  which  held  the  accumulated  rains 
and  snows  and  the  insufficient  drainage  retarded  settlement. 
The  flood  of  eastern  people  who  came  in  the  late  '30s  and 
the  early  '40s  to  make  homes  for  themselves  in  Michigan, 
did  not  remain  in  Detroit,  but  made  for  the  southern  and 
central  tiers  of  counties,  where  the  land  was  easier  cleared 
and  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  most  magnificent 
promise.  Between  Detroit  and  Dearborn  there  were  few 
improved  farms,  except  upon  the  river  front  and  along  the 
borders  of  the  Rouge.  The  old  French  preference  for 
living  near  a  water  course  was  manifested  by  the  newer 
immigrants  if  by  that  term  we  can  designate  the  enlight- 
ened, adventurous  and  energetic  sons  and  daughters  of 
New  England  and  New  York  who  hurried  to  Michigan  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  the  young  state.  They  made  homes 
for  themselves  on  the  borders  of  the  Rouge,  the  Ecorse, 
Raisin,  Clinton,  Huron,  Grand,  St.  Joseph,  Shiawassee, 
Huron,  St.  Clair  and  Saginaw  Rivers. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  depot  of  the  Michigan  Central  had 
freshly  been  removed  from  the  Michigan  avenue  site  of 
the  city  hall  to  its  present  location  on  the  river  at  the  foot 
of  Third  street.  At  this  point  emptied  the  River  Savoyard, 
which  had  its  source  m  a  rivulet  near  where  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  church  now  stands,  at  St.  Antoine  st.  and  Monroe 

156 


avenue.  It  meandered  down  toward  Cadillac  square, 
and  the  site  of  the  new  county  buildings,  where  it  broadened 
out  into  a  lagoon.  Water  fowl  and  water  snakes,  the 
impetuous  blue-racer  among  them,  found  a  congenial 
habitat  there.  The  Savoyard  deepened  and  its  current 
became  more  forceful  as  it  approached  the  line  of  Woodward 
avenue.  It  is  on  record  in  Farmer's  History  that  batteaux 
freighted  with  stone  for  old  Ste.  Anne's  church,  navigated 
to  the  comer  of  Bates  and  Congress,  the  present  armory 
of  the  Light  Infantry  being  erected  on  the  grounds  once 
confined  within  the  church  plot.  We  know  that  there  was 
a  bridge  across  the  Savoyard  at  Griswold  street,  and  that 
Levi  E.  Dolsen,  an  old  citizen,  well  known  in  his  generation, 
who  died  a  year  or  two  ago,  fell  from  the  bridge  while 
fishing  and  was  nearly  drowned. 

In  excavating  a  few  years  ago  the  foundation  for  Phelps, 
Brace  &  Co.'s  and  Lee  &  Cady';  buildings,  cannon  balls 
and  other  military  relics  were  unearthed.  They  were 
souvenirs  of  the  British  occupation,  and  the  cannon  balls 
may  have  been  aimed  at  Pontiac's  red  horde  of  savages. 

The  waters  of  the  Savoyard  began  to  be  intercepted  and 
led  oflf  by  sewers  50  years  ago,  the  stream  dwindled  an-d 
was  filled  up,  and  when  the  new  Michigan  Central  station 
was  constructed  its  last  vestiges  disappeared.  Last  fall,  in 
constructing  a  building  opposite  the  Wayne  Hotel  on  River 
street,  the  hull  of  a  small  craft  was  unearthed,  which  tiO 
doubt  was  left  to  decay  in  the  shallow  Savoyard. 

A  walk  down  the  River  road  in  those  days  would  have 
taken  the  pedestrian  along  a  tolerably  high  bank  which 
faced  the  street  from  Fifth  street  to  Eighth.     Tliis  walk 

157 


was  guarded  by  a  hand  rail.  From  its  elevation  one  could 
see  the  new  city  gas  works,  then  just  put  in  operation. 
The  ruined  old  building  now  belongs  to  Frederick  Stearns 
and  is  used  as  a  marble  and  stone  shop.  The  young  firm 
of  Jackson  &  Wiley  had  a  foundry  nearly  opposite  thar 
was  worked  to  its  limit  night  and  day.  The  railroad  irom- 
pany  had  a  peculiar  machine  which  turned  out  from  billets 
of  wood  oblong  oval  wedges  that  were  used  to  make  firm 
the  joints  of  the  T  rails,  then  newly  used — the  antecedent 
of  the  fish  plate.  There  was  a  car  shop  of  considerable 
dimensions  along  the  side  of  the  street,  and  by  an  hydraulic 
machine,  attended  by  Bijah  Joy,  of  subsequent  fame  as  a 
policeman  who  passed  "an  hour  at  the  central  station"  every 
day.  By  means  of  this  machine  car  wheels  were  forced 
upon  their  axles.  Next  was  the  railroad  machine  and  black- 
smith shop,  and  round  house,  made  significant  by  what 
was  said  to  be  the  tallest  chimney  in  America,  only  exceeded 
in  height  by  the  St.  Rollux  chimney  at  Glasgow,  Scotland. 
Tliis  chimney  and  busy  shops,  for  which  it  once  produced 
the  desired  air  drafts,  were  long  ago  demolished. 

The  railroad  track  struck  the  river  at  the  r.xOuth  of  May's 
Creek,  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets,  but  before 
coming  to  it  one  passed  the  farms  of  John  Miillett,  the 
old-time  surveyor,  and  Gov.  Woodbridge.  Mullett  and 
Woodbridge  lived  in  old-style  French  mansions.  A  part 
of  the  Mullett  residence  still  stands  back  of  the  Hammond 
Beef  Company's  warehouse.     Next  was  that  of  John   S. 


^5^ 


Abbott  and  Henry  T.  Backus,  sons-in-law  of  Gov,  Wood- 
bridge.  Magnificent  French  pear  trees  were  the  surround- 
ings of  each  of  these  dwelHngs,  and  of  every  other  dwelHng 
on  the  river  front. 

The  railroad  track,  when  it  reached  the  river,  was  car- 
ried by  trestle  work  over  the  shallows  up  to  the  channel 
bank,  and  thence  in  a  straight  line  to  Third  street.  There 
was  at  first  but  a  single  track,  and  the  trains  as  they  passed 
over  it  reverberated  loudly.  The  water  inclosure  formed 
by  the  trestle  reached  from  h'ifth  to  Eleventh  street.  The 
early  formations  of  ice  were  protected  by  the  closely  driven 
piles  and  thereby  made  the  space  into  a  skating  park  that 
was  nuich  besought  by  the  youth  of  tiie  city. 

A  bridge  carried  the  road  over  May's  Creek,  just  west 
of  Woodbridge's  mansion.  The  rest  of  the  way,  except 
from  Fourteenth  street  to  Twenty-fourth,  tlie  highway  fpl- 
lowed  the  margin  of  the  river.  The  first  reach  of  the  river 
was  a  sort  of  rendezvous  for  scows  and  small  sail  craft. 
There  was  a  couple  of  taverns  of  some  note — one  kept  bv 
Thomas  Lyon,  an  eccentric  Englishman,  formerly  a  soldier, 
whose  wife,  a  buxom  lady,  was  a  typical  old-time  landlady. 
The  other  was  kept  by  Louis  Specht,  a  German  from  the 
region  of  the  upper  Rhine,  whose  knowledge  of  the  French 
language  made  him  congenial  to  the  sailors  and  farmers 
below.  Saw  mills  were  just  erected  in  this  district,  one 
by  Selah  Reeve,  the  other  by  Bela  Hubbard,  and  John  E. 
King.  There  were  tanneries  also,  one  of  them  superin- 
tended by  the  Levi  E.  Dolsen  named  above. 


'59 


Another  small  stream  crossed  the  highway  just  belo^v 
tile  Godfrey  mansion.  Vestiges  of  this  stream  are  apparent 
today  south  of  Fort  street  in  front  of  Peter  llenkel's  house. 
The  River  road  tlien  kept  inland.  It  passed  the  honu- 
of  William  Burtchell — generally  called  Billy — a  noted 
steamboat  runner.  On  the  front  of  the  Lorangcr  farm,  now 
known  as  the  Lafontaine  farm,  was  an  extensive  fishery, 
perhaps  the  best  on  the  river.  Old  Jean  Baptiste  Loranger 
had  a  merry  crew  of  French  fishermen,  who  sang  as  they 
rowed  out  to  cast  their  nets,  and  gave  exultant  Gallic 
shouts  when  the  catch  warranted  such  enthusiasm.  They 
lived  in  shanties  on  the  river's  edge.  Fish,  potatoes,  bread, 
pork  and  beans  were  the  staple  articles  on  the  bill  of  fare, 
and  the  hungry  stranger  was  always  invited  to  sit  with 
them  at  the  feast.  Whiskey  was  15  cents  a  gallon,  and 
probably  the  dampness  of  their  occupation  caused  them  to 
take  more  of  it  than  was  good  for  them. 

Continuing  on,  the  wayfarer  came  to  the  residence  of 
]\Taj.  Henry  Brevoort,  a  veteran  of  Perry's  victory  and  other 
campaigns  of  1812.  Maj.  Brevoort  had  a  French  pony 
and  a  low-  hung  buggy,  covenient  for  a  man  of  his  stature 
and  portliness.  Every^  day  he  would  drive  up  to  the  city 
to  call  upon  friends.  It  was  a  tradition  of  the  neighbor- 
hood that  he  received  a  silver  dollar — "the  dollar  of  the 
daddies" — every  time  he  went  to  town,  in  the  way  of  pay- 
ment on  his  pension.  This,  of  course,  is  not  the  way 
pensions  are  paid,  but  the  story  was  told  that  he  collected 
his  dollar  every  day. 

Passing  beyond  Brevoort's,  the  River  road  ran  to  the 
edge  of  a  high,  steep  bank,  exactly  like  the  bank  to  be  seen 

1 60 


today  on  the  Windsor  side  of  the  river.  It  started  from 
about  whore  the  Detroit  Gas  Works  are  now  located  and 
continued  past  Twenty-fourth  street.  There  was  a  sort  of 
bay  here,  the  water  being  so  shallow  that  boys  seeking 


II    f 


">^«» 


I 


ii 


njm°%  m?(S),^ir 


September  I0U),^813 


;!'<'"""-'jj/.. 


the  place  to  bathe  could  wade  out  200  feet  before  getting 
beyond  their  depth.  Some  vestiges  of  the  bank  remain. 
The  old  brick  mansion  of  Gov.  Porter,  occupied  in  recent 
times  by  the  late  Sylvester  Larned,  stood  uninhabited  on 
this  high  bank,  commanding  a  grand  view  of  the  river. 
Another  bit  of  neighborhood  gossip,  told  in  whispers  by 


161 


the  French  lads  vvlio  lived  thereabout — C.  Peter  Laffcr<y 
and  Samuel  Caiupau  will  remember  about  it — was  a  story 
that  the  house  was  haunted. 


AN  OLD  FRENCH  HOUSE  ON  THE  ROUGE. 

The  road  was  graded  down  from  the  bank  to  the  river 
•  level,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  stood  the  iCagle  tavern, 
celebrated  as  the  headquarters  for  a  day  and  a  night  of 
Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison,  who  brought  his  army  up 
this  way  to  take  possession  of  the  city  after  the  British 
forces,  subsequent  to  1812  and  Perry's  victory,  had 
vacated  it. 

Continuing  on,  the  fishing  grounds  of  James  Harper,  who 
had  married  the  widow  of  Jean  Baptiste  Campau,  was  a 
conspicuous  feature,  especially  during  the  whitefish  season. 
Knaggs'  Creek,  lined  with  cattails,  buUnishes.  water  lilies, 
and  mnskrat  houses,  emptied  into  the  river  just  below. 
Some  years  later  Lewis  Ives  dammed  up  the  stream,  exca- 
vated its  channel,  built  a  pier  and  converted  the  bed  of 

162 


Knaggs'  Creek  into  a  drydock,  the  first  on  the  great  lakes 
The  remains  of  Ives'  dock  are  still  to  be  seen. 

Here  stood  for  many  years  the  last  of  the  old  wind- 
mills on  the  river  bank.  Fanner's  History  gives  a  picture 
of  it. 


"^ 


s?^ 


\. 


THE  WINDMILL  IN   1838. 


Lower  down,  about  w^here  Edward  Campau  used  to  live, 
or  rather  on  the  site  of  Qark's  drydock,  was  another  fish- 
ery. The  road  then  passed  in  front  of  the  finest  dwelling" 
houses  on  the  river,  then  the  property  of  Gen.  John  E. 
Schwartz,  who  had  much  to  do  with  the  militia,  and  whose 
official  unifonn  was  the  most  gorgeous  worn  in  all  this 
region. 

When  the  government  bought  the  front  of  the  Forsyth 
farm  and  began  to  build  Fort  Wayne,  the  road  was  deflected 

163 


from  the  river  front  through  the  fanns  to  the  rear,  cutting 
across  the  WilHams  and  the  Reeder  fanns,  in  the  Hne  which 
is  followed  today.  The  old  Williams  farm  houses  were 
converted  into  a  tavern  by  the  late  eccentric  'Squire  Samuel 
Ludlow.  He  called  the  place  Buena  Vista  hall,  in  honor 
of  Gen.  Taylor,  and  the  Whigs  of  that  day  put  up  a  great 
pole  with  a  Taylor  and  Fillmore  flag.  Zach  Chandler  was 
one  of  the  leading  spirits.  The  Democrats,  not  to  be  out- 
done, put  up  a  pole  for  Gen.  Cass  at  Abiel  Wood's  place 
on  the  Reeder  farm,  and  Robert  Henderson  displayed  a 
large  oil  painting  of  Cass  in  his  treaty  with  the  Menominee 
Indians  at  Green  Bay.  This  picture  would  be  valuable — 
in  a  historical  sense — for  the  Detroit  public  library,  as  it 
contained  many  portraits  of  old-time  Michigan  notables. 
What  has  become  of  it  it  is  hard  to  say.  Some  of  the  French 
people,  Eli  Barkume,  Clement  Lafiferty  or  others  who 
knew  Bob  Henderson,  can  perhaps  put  inquirers  on  the 
track  of  it. 

Edwin  Reeder,  a  man  of  great  learning  and  some  peculi- 
arities, inclined  to  conviviality,  lived  upon  his  farm,  the 
front  of  which  consisted  of  high  banks  of  sand,  comparing 
in  elevation  to  the  counterscarp  of  Fort  Wayne.  Out  of 
this  sand  bank  exuded  many  springs  of  pure  water.  From 
the  abundance  of  these  springs  the  name  Springwells  was" 
derived.  Reeder  himself,  although  an  Englishman,  had  a 
romantic  fancy  foi^  the  early  French  settlers,  and  was 
always  hopeful  of  having  the  name  Springwells  changed 
to  Bellefontaine.     He  never  succeeded  in  doing  so. 

The  Reeder  sand  banks  have  all  been  leveled,  and  the 
sand  hauled  away  to  make  foundations  for  street  pavements 

164 


in  the  city.  In  removing  the  sand  the  skeletons  of  Indians 
buried  there,  and  of  soldiers  of  Harrison's  army,  and  those 
of  the  Americans  who  campaigned  here  in  1812,  were  found. 
The  late  John  Greusel  established  one  of  the  first  brick 
yards  on  the  river  in  front  of  the  Reeder  farm.  Previous  to 
diat  the  brick  used  in  the  city  came  from  yards  up  the 
River  Rouge. 

Passing  along  the  rear  of  Fort  Wayne,  the  l^ver  road 
skirted  an  extensive  marsh,  then  known  as  Prairie  Ronde. 
The  Wabash  railroad  track  now  goes  through  the  center 
of  it,  and  the  marsh  has  become  the  site  of  the  rich  truck 
gardens  that  front  on  Fort  street.  Leaving  the  marsh,  it 
passed  close  to  a  long  Indian  mound,  a  burial  place  where 
the  skeletons  of  mound  builders  have  been  exhumed.  The 
skeletons  have  been  described  in  articles  written  by  Bela 
Hubbard  and  Prof.  Henry  Oilman;  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution has  published  accounts  of  them.  There  was  little 
of  cultivated  ground  here  until  one  reached  the  point  where 
the  River  road  struck  the  Rouge,  conspicuous  by  a  high 
bluf?  of  sand,  which  overlooks  the  great  marsh,  of  late  years 
given  over  to  the  improving  hand  of  business,  prompted  by 
the  sagacity  of  Henry  B.  Ledyard,  Henry  Russel  and  their 
associates.  On  this  sand  hill  stood  a  solitary  tavern,  kept 
by  the  Widow  McGregor,  then  called  the  Junction  house. 
Beyond  this  the  French  held  sway  all  the  way  to  Ecorse. 
Frmch  ponies  in  great  herds  wandered  freely  all  about 
the  territory.  The  owners  corralled  them  once  a  year 
and  branded  them  with  their  initials.  Very  hardy  little 
beasts,  pawing  away  the  snow  in  winter  to  get  at  the 
sweet,  dry  grass  below,  and  sometimes  making  trouble  to 

165 


the  new  clearings  which  the  settlers  had  established.  Some 
of  these  French  ponies  had  speed,  particularly  the  pacers. 
One  could  see  them  in  all  Hieir  glory,  likewise  their  own- 
ers, in  their  manifestations  of  voluble  cxciteme^^t,  at  the 
racing  on  the  ice  en  the  long,  straight  stretch  of  the  Rouge 
that  c.vtends  past  the  present  glass  works.  They  raced 
their  ponies,  they  hunted  mink  and  muskrats,  they  gath- 
ered the  French  pears  and  cherries,  they  cultivated  their 
little  farms,  and  lived  happy  and  placid  lives,  not  much 
disturbed  by  modem  innovations. 


rr 


'1 


DETROIT  IN  1857. 
From  an  Engraving  Owned  by  C.  M.  Burton.    - 

It  was  a  time  of  peace  and  plenty,  and  about  as  much  of 
happiness  as  satisfies  a  simple-minded  community,  and  that 


1 66 


perhaps  expresses  all  the  contentment  of  life,  which  of  itself 
is  the  definition  of  happiness. 


ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  AGO. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  Hi  1896.) 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  have  waved  over  this  city  loo  years. 
It  is  now  nearly  200  years  since  the  founding  of  Detroit. 
It  is  two  years  older  than  St.  Petersburg.  Nearly  one-half 
of  this  time  was  under  British  and  French  rule.  The  his- 
tory of  the  first  half  is  not  very  extensive,  and  of  but 
little  importance,  except  as  it  had  bearing  on  the  latter 
half.  The  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  hauling  down  of 
British  colors  is  being  celebrated  in  Detroit  today  with 
imposing  and  impressive  ceremonies.  It  is  a  date  that 
should  be  remembered,  in  this  busy  day,  apt  to  be  forgotten, 
and  the  events  form  a  patriotic  lesson  that  is  good  and 
wholesome.  1 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  comprehensive  account  of  this 
event,  the  most  momentous  in  the  history  of  the  great 
northwest,  has  never  been  written,  or,  if  written,  has  not 
been  preserved.  The  territory  that  by  the  evacuation  of 
Detroit,  and  the  military  posts  to  the  north  and  south 
passed  from  British  to  American  rule,  was  greater  in  area 
than  the  13  states  that  had  won  independence  13  years 
before  after  a  struggle  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the 
oppressed  in  all  nations,  and  yet  this  event  is  chronicled 
in  our  school  histories,  if  mentioned  at  all,  as  having 
occurred  in  1796,  a  single  line  telling  a  tale  of  more  moment 

167 


to  the  millions  of  America  than  the  surrender  of  Cornvvallis. 

Early  histories  of  Detroit  have  no  niK^re  than  a  mention 
of  the  fact,  but  probably  for  the  reaso'i  that  no  more  was 
known.  The  date,  even,  was  uncertain  until  a  few  years 
ago,  when  a  local  historian  settled  the  question  by  finding 
official  correspondence  of  Gol.  Hamtramck  that  was  carried 
away  when  Hull  surrendered  the  city  to  the  British  in  1812. 

C.  M.  Burton  has  at  great  expense  collected  togetlier  a 
mass  of  information  concerning  Detroit  and  Michigan  from 
the  days  of  Cadillac  to  the  present  time.  He  has  found  it 
in  old  bookstores  in  this  country,  Canada  and  England; 
in  libraries,  and  the  treasured  archives  of  nations;  but  wher- 
ever and  whenever  found  he  has  become  the  owner  if  pos- 
sible, and  if  not,  has  procured  manuscript  copies.  All  these 
books,  pamphlets,  records,  manuscripts,  and  letters  he 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Journal  when  it  asked  the 
privileee  of  compiling  a  comprehensive  report  of  the  events 
of  July  ii,  1796,  and  those  immediately  preceding  and  fol- 
lowing them. 

To  get  one  fact  here,  another  there;  one  from  a  letter 
written  within  the  palisades  to  a  friend  at  a  distance;  another 
from  a  military  order,  or  a  moldy  book  of  travels,  in  which 
"f's"  are  used  for  "s's,"  and  bring  them  together  chrono- 
logically, required  time  and  patience,  but  the  Journal  gave 
both  to  the  work.  How  well,  or  how  indifferently,  that 
work  has  been  done,  the  public  can  determine  from  the 
supplement  to  this  edition. 

It  is  the  first  compilation  that  has  ever  been  attempted, 
but  it  is  unsatisfactory,  because  the  data  are  not  to  be 
obtained.     It  is  possible  that  the  journal  of  Gen.  Wayne 

168 


i.     ^ 
3     Z 


H 
m 


tn 

O 


H 

m 

50 
m 

< 
O 
t- 

c 

H 


contained  a  graphic  description  of  liovv  the  crestfallen  Brit- 
ish marched  out  with  trailing  arms  and  silent  dmm,  and 
how  the  Americans  triumphantly  entered  the  fortress  to 
the  music  of  "Yankee  Doodle";  how  the  soldiers  cheered 
and  the  eagle  screamed  when  the  Stars  and  Stripes  rose 
proudly  to  the  top  of  tiie  flagstaff  at  high  noon  of  that  day, 
but,  unfortunately  for  the  writer  of  evacuation  day  history 
ICO  years  after,  the  volumes  of  "Mad  Anthony's"  reports 
for  1796  have  disappeared  from  the  national  library  and 
cannot  be  found. 


A  LEGEND  OF  1796. 

(From  the  Detroit  Journal,  July  11,  1896.) 

One  of  Maj.  Gladwin's  soldiers  at  Fort  Pontchartrain, 
Detroit,  a  little  over  lOO  years  ago,  was  Sergt.  Jimmie 
Campbell.  He  had  said  a  lover's  adieu  to  Mary  Macdonald 
when  he  left  Boston  to  join  his  regiment  at  Detroit.  For 
many  months  after  leaving  Boston  he  heard  from  her  often. 
She  ceased  to  write,  and  Jimmie  heard  no  more  of  her 
until  finally  he  learned  that  she  was  to  be  married  to  Capt. 
Charles  Stewart,  who  had  been  Jimmie's  rival,  and  whom 
Mary  had  once  rejected.  The  thought  of  this  made  Jimmie 
reckless.  His  yearning  for  a  perilous  exploit  was  gratified 
a  few  hours  later.  A  vessel  with  reinforcements  and  pro- 
visions was  en  route  from  Fort  Erie  to  Fort  Pontchartrain. 
Maj.  Gladwin  feared  that  it  would  be  suqDrised  and  plun- 
dered by  the  allied  tribes  of  the  Hurons,  Wyandottes  and 
Pottawattomies.     He  then  learned  through  J.  D.  Baby,  a 

169 


trader,  whose  agent,  Latlamboise,  hatl  located  the  tribes, 
that  his  fears  had  been  well  gronnded.  Sergt.  Campbell 
knew  that  Maj.  Gladwin  wanted  a  warning  given  to  the 
captain  of  the  vessel.  He  was  an  expert  with  a  canoe, 
and  when  he  volunteered  to  do  the  hazardous  task  Gladwin 
accepted.  The  young  sergeant  started  for  Riviere  au  Can- 
ard. He  affected  the  guise  of  a  trader.  He  found  the 
Hurons,  VVyandottes  and  I'ottawattomies  camped  on  the 
two  banks  of  Riviere  au  Canard.  The  warriors  were  mak- 
ing bows  and  arrows  'A  the  young  hickory.  The  squaws 
were  twisting  deer  skin  and  the  inner  bark  of  elm  for  bow 
strings,  and  tying  wild  turkey  feathers  on  the  arrows,  and 
the  poisoned  flint  barb  was  being  inserted  in  slit  and  tied 
with  the  finest  thread  of  the  raccoon  gut.  Meeting  the 
daughter  of  a  Huron  chief,  Campbell  gave  her  many  strings 
of  beads,  gaudy  cloth  and  bracelets. 

"You  braves  are  very  busy.    Why  is  it?" 

"When  the  vessel  of  the  pale  face  reaches  Turkey  Island, 
braves  take  her." 


Campbell  hastened  down  the  river  to  the  vessel,  which 
was  making  such  slow  progress  in  a  calm  that  he  decided 
to  return  in  advance  of  her  and  watch  the  Indians.  Camp- 
bell had  been  watched  by  Indian  scouts,  and  when  he 
returned  to  Canada  he  was  captured,  and  after  the  attack 
was  made  and  disastrously  repulsed  he  was  sentenced  to 
death  as  a  spy.  A  rescuing  party  found  him  afterwards  with 
an  arm  and  leg  mutilated  so  that  they  had  to  be  amputated, 
and  his  face  was  shockingly  disfigured,  but  he  was  alive. 


170 


He  was  taken  to  Fort  Pontchartrain.  A  message  awaited 
him.  It  was  from  Mary,  and  said  that  she  had  left  Bos- 
ton for  Detroit.  She  exphiined  her  long  silence  by  saying 
that  she  had  been  thrown  from  her  horse,  her  brain  being 
affected  by  the  injury;  fever  had  set  in,  and  then  followed 
one  of  those  remarkable  cases  that  physicians  know 
instances  of  where  a  patient's  memory  has  become  blank 
to  a  certain  date,  and  memory  distinctly  recalls  everything 
prior  to  that  date.  So  Mary  claimed  she  had  forgotten 
Jimmie,  remembered  only  her  first  sweetheart,  Capt.  Stew- 
art, and  became  engaged  to  marry  him.  It  was  upon  her 
wedding  mom,  she  claimed,  that  her  memory  returned,  and 
she  was  now  coming  to  see  Jimmie. 

Jimmie  read  the  note  again  and  again. 

"Too  late,  too  late!"  he  said,  with  childlike  sobs. 


Next  day  the  door  of  Jimmie's  room  was  gently  opened 
and  a  beautiful  girl  entered.  It  was  Mary.  The  sunlight 
shed  its  lustre  around  her,  and  it  shone  upon  Jimmie.  Mary 
had  been  told  nothing  of  her  sweetheart's  condition.  As 
she  looked  upon  his  disfigured  face,  once  so  handsome, 
and  his  mutilated  limbs,  she  became  dazed,  startled,  and 
with  a  feeling  of  horror  she  uttered  a  cry  of  anguish  and 
rushed  from  the  room. 

The  regimental  physician  found  the  laudanum  bottle 
empty  beside  Jimmie's  bed,  and  they  buried  him  with  mar- 
tial honors. 


171 


CAUSE  OF  THE  DELAY. 

(From  the  Detroit  journal,  July  11,  1896.) 

As  Stated  in  another  article,  the  iiidcpeiulence  that  was 
won  for  the  east  by  the  success  of  the  armies  of  the  colonies 
in  i^'Sj  was  not  extended  to  the  northwest  territory  until 
1796,  when  the  Jay  treaty  went  into  effect  and  the  bound- 
ary line  was  established. 

Prof.  A.  C.  McLaughlin,  in  a  paper  read  before  the 
American  Historical  Association  in  1894,  on  "The  Western 
Posts  and  the  Biitish  Debts,"  gives  the  reasons  why  Eng- 
land retained  possession  of  this  territory  for  13  years  after 
the  close  of  the   Revolution. 

A  preliminary  treaty  of  peace  was  agreed  upon  by  repre- 
sentatives of  Great  Hritain  and  the  United  States  at  Paris, 
November  30,  1782,  but  a  definite  treaty  was  not  signed 
until  September  3,  1783,  and  was  not  ratified  by  congress 
until  January  14  following,  or  by  Great  Britain  until  April  9. 
This  instrument  provided  that  Great  Britain  should,  "vvitli 
all  convenient  speed,"  withdraw  all  her  armies,  garrisons 
and  fleets  from  the  United  States,  and  from  every  post, 
place  and  harbor  within  the  same." 


Hostilities  had  ceased,  under  an  armistice,  January  20, 
1783,  and  Gen.  Carleton  was  ordered  to  vacate  New  York 
as  early  as  April,  but  it  was  November  before  the  last 
of  his  troops  were  withdrawn.  In  July  of  that  year  Gen. 
Washington  sent  Gen.  Steuben  to  Quebec  to  request  a 
transfer  of  the  posts  in  the  northwest.     Gov.   Haldimand 


17a 


refused  to  consider  tlie  matter  of  evacuation,  on  the  ground 
that  he  had  received  no  orders  on  the  subject.  In  Marcli 
of  the  next  year  (rov.  Ginton,  of  New  York,  sent  L\)l. 
h'ish  to  Gov.  HaUhniand  witii  a  ret|uest  that  he  be  notifu'd 
when  iiis  majesty  intended  to  evacuate  the  posts  within  tiiat 
state.  llaUhniand  replied  that  the  treaty  being-  with  con- 
gress, it  woidd  be  inadmissible  to  grant  the  posts  to  a  single 
state. 

In  June,  Gen.  Knox,  made  a  formal  demand  in  the  name 
of  the  United  States,  but  without  result.  If,  was  claimed 
by  Haldimand  that  the  United  States  had  not  complied 
with  the  treaty;  that  the  Indians  and  royalists  were  opposed 
to  a  change  of  masters,  and  that  the  fur  trade  at  Detroit 
and  other  points  would  suffer  from  a  change.  It  was  also 
claimed  that  the  loyalists  were  persecuted  by  the  Americans 
and  their  estates  confiscated. 

In  August,  1785,  John  Adams,  the  American  minister, 
was  told  by  Pitt  at  London,  that  the  delay  in  evacuating 
the  posts  was  due  to  impediments  interposed  by  the  Ameri- 
can states  to  the  recovery  of  debts  due  to  British  creditors, 
to  which  Adams  replied  that  nothing  of  the  kind  was  stipu- 
lated in  the  treaty;  that  no  government  ever  undertook  to 
l^ay  the  i>rivate  debts  of  its  subjects.  Prof.  McLaughlin 
say^  • 


"Doubtless  the  Americans  had  broken  the  treaty.  The 
treatment  of  the  loyalists  forms  no  bright  chapter  in  our 
national  histor}\  Several  states  had  laws  on  their  statute 
books  which  prevented  the  ready  recovery  of  debts  by  Brit- 

'73 


ish  creditors.  The  war  left  the  country  in  a  condition  of 
financial  demoralization.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the 
foreign  merchant,  who  seemed  in  some  of  the  states  to  hold 
a  permanent  lien  on  property  and  to  be  a  lasting  drag  on 
progress,  should  find  statutes  and  stay-laws  blocking  his 
path.  In  October,  1786,  Jay  made  a  report  to  congress 
in  which  he  found  many  of  the  charges  true.  In  November 
he  wrote  to  Adams  as  the  result  of  his  inquiries  into  the 
conduct  of  the  states  that  there  had  not  been  a  single  day 
since  it  took  effect  on  which  it  has  not  been  violated  by 
one  or  other  of  the  states." 

Jay  further  declared  that  "deviation  on  our  part  preceded 
any  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,"  and  added  that  England 
was  not  under  obligations  to  evacuate  our  territory  until 
after  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  and  the  acts  of 
some  of  the  states  he  considered  the  first  violation  of  the 
treaty. 

In  1787,  upon  the  suggestion  of  Jay,  congress  passed  an 
act  recommending  to  the  several  states  that  all  laws  repug- 
nant to  the  treaty  of  peace  be  repealed.  This  was  done  by 
all  the  states,  though  Virginia  made  her  repealing  act  con- 
ditional upon  England  giving  up  the  posts. 


When  Washington  became  president  he  requested  Gov. 
Morris,  who  was  in  London,  to  represent  to  the  British 
ministry  that  the  new  federal  court  had  been  given  full  juris- 
diction over  cases  arising  under  the  treaty,  and  to  ask  the 
ministry  what  objections  remained  to  fulfilling  its  terms. 
As  a  result  of  this  interview  England  r.ent  a  minister  to  this 
country,  and  he  and  Jeflferson  entered  upon  a  consideration 


174 


of  the  differences  to  a  substantial  ratification  of  the  treaty. 
Hammond  demanded  that  all  debts  be  paid,  and  confiscated 
estates  of  tories  restored.  Congress  had  recommended  that 
this  be  done,  and  JefTerson  contended  that  this  action  con- 
stituted a  fulfillment  of  the  treaty,  because  recommendation 
was  all  our  commissioners  promised. 

When  Jay  went  to  England  in  1794,  England  was  at 
war  with  France,  and  did  not  deem  it  best  to  provoke  an 
alliance  of  the  United  States  with  that  country.  The  In- 
dians were  continually  conunitting  depredations,  and  the 
Americans  charged  that  they  were  incited  to  hostilities  by 
the  British  within  our  borders.  The  Americans  were  ripe 
for  war,  and  Jay  found  the  British  ministry  ready  and  will- 
ing to  agree  upon  terms  of  pennanent  peace.  Tlie  treaty 
then  negotiated  provided  for  the  evacuation  of  all  frontier 
posts  on  or  before  June  i,  1796,  and  for  a  commission  to 
determine  the  amount  of  debt  due  British  merchants,  which, 
in  case  collection  had  been  hindered  by  lawful  impediments, 
was  to  be  assumed  by  our  government. 


LA  MOTHE  CADILLAC. 

HOW  HE  CAME  TO  FOUND  A  SETTLEMENT  HERE 
( From  the  Qetroit  Journal,  July  11,  1896,) 
How  long  there  had  existed  an  encampment  at  the  spot 
on  which  Detroit  now  stands,  there  is  now  no  way  to 
determme.  Certain  it  is  that  when  Cadillac  came  in  1701 
he  was  met  by  a  handful  of  coureurs-de-bois,  who  were 
living  here  and  trading  with  the  savages. 

175 


It  is  to  Antoine  de  la  Moth?  Cadillac  that  we  owe  the 
founding  of  this  beautiful  city  of  ours,  though  someone 
sooner  or  later,  in  the  general  colonization  of  the  new  world, 
must  have  perceived  the  advantages,  both  military  and 
commercial,  of  the  site. 

Lamothe  Cadillac,  as  he  signed  himself,  was  bom  'n  a 
little  hamlet  in  the  southeastern  part  of  France.  Other 
than  the  date  of  his  birth,  March  5,  1658,  and  his  baptism 
five  days  later,  we  have  no  authentic  facts  concerning 
his  life,  until  we  find  him  in  the  new  world,  a  lieutenant  in 
the  king's  service,  marrying  beautiful  Theresa  Guyon,  the 
daughter  of  a  Quebec  merchant.  After  distinguishing  him- 
self by  energetic  service  in  Acadia,  he  received  from  Fron- 
tenac  command  of  the  fort  and  Indian  mission  at  Mackinac. 
Here  it  is  he  conceived  the  idea  which  is  of  such  direct 
interest  to  us.  Imbued  with  the  idea  that  a  settlement 
somewhere  on  the  banks  of  the  strait,  now  called  Detroit 
River,  would  be  of  the  greatest  military  value,  and  that  in 
time  it  might  be  successful  a&  a  colony,  he  secured  his 
release  from  the  position  at  Mackinac  and  set  sail  for  France 
to  present  in  person  to  the  king  his  arguments  in  favor  of 
establishing  the  post.  His  plans  meeting  with  approval, 
the  colonial  minister,  Count  Pontchartrain,  gave  him  the 
necessary  authority  and  allowed  him  the  equivalent  of  $275 
for  building  the  fort. 

He  returned  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1701  and  went 
directly  to  Montreal.  After  some  weeks  of  preparation  he 
set  out  with  100  soldiers  and  Canadians,  and  25  canoes, 
carrying,  besides  the  men,  all  that  was  necessary  for  the 
construction  of  the  fort  and  village.     De  Tonty  was  second 

176 


in  command.  Leaving  Montreal,  the  expedition  entered 
the  Ottawa  River.  Jiy  ascending  this,  which  gave  them 
a  path  almost  directly  west,  and  crossing  by  land  to  Geor- 
gian  Bay,  they  reached   Lake   Huron. 

Finally,  after  toiling  over  six  weeks  against  current  and 
through  forest,  on  one  beautiful  morning  in  July  they 
glided  with  the  current  down  the  giant  river;  and,  coming 
out  from  behind  the  luxuriously  wooded  Belle  Isle,  beheld 
their  future  home.  And  as  he  saw  spread  before  him  a 
low  hill  about  700  yards  from  the  river,  stretching  along 
for  over  two  miles,  and  dotted  with  beautiful  groves,  what 
visions  of  a  great  city,  with  a  state'y  avenue  on  that  ridge, 
must  have  passed  before  the  eyes  of  Cadillac.  Landing  at 
a  small  cove  which  lay  where  the  foot  of  Griswold  street 
does  now,  the  leader  staked  ofif  the  sites  of  the  palisade  and 
magazine,  and  by  sundown  Frere  Constantin  summoned 
the  garrison  of  Fort  Pontchartrain  to  their  first  vespers. 


Surrounded  on  all  sides  by  200  miles  of  semi-hostile 
Indians,  with  no  approaci>  except  by  water,  Detroit's  growth 
was  necessarily  slow.  The  tide  of  settlement  had  not 
reached  it.  Under  13  different  commandants  for  the  French 
king,  the  number  of  homes  increased  very  slowly,  in  spite 
of  repeated  offers  on  the  part  of  the  Canadian  government 
to  furnish  each  settler  with  farming  utensils  and  to  sup- 
port his  family  for  the  first  year.  For  we  know  that  even 
in  1805  the  number  of  houses  in  Fort  Pontchartrain,  as  it 
was  still  called,  was  something  less  than  200,  and  the 
greater  part  of  these  were  within  the  stockade,  clustered 


177 


about  the  little  street  called  Ste.  Anne,  which,  though  only 
30  feet  wide,  lay  in  almost  the  same  position  as  Jefferson 
avenue  does  now.  There  was  one  house  of  two  stories 
near  the  center  of  the  stockade. 

Up  to  1760  the  French  had  succeeded  in  little  more  than 
keeping  possession  of  the  position.  Now  in  the  L'rench 
and  Indian  war  at  the  surrender  of  Montreal,  and  with  it 
the  whole  northwest  territory,  our  city  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  English.  The  condition  of  the  inhabitants 
underwent  no  change  at  all,  as  a  fact,  except  that  occasioned 
by  their  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Great  Britain, 
and  the  removal  of  the  French  troops. 

But  at  this  change  to  control  by  the  arrogant  English, 
the  Indians,  who  had  with  such  difificulty  been  kept  in  peace 
by  the  conciliatory  policy  of  the  French,  aroused  by  the 
burning  eloquence  of  Pontiac,  hatched  a  scheme  for  getting 
possession  of  all  the  land  held  by  the  English.  Detroit,  in 
Pontiac's  well  laid  plan,  was  to  be  taken  by  treachery.  In 
.  the  simultaneous  attack  on  all  the  forts  from  Mackinac  to 
the  east,  Detroit,  with  one  other  station,  held  out.  How  the 
plan  failed  because  of  the  forewarning  given  by  Catherine, 
the  Ojibway  girl,  we  all  know  by  heart.  Now  com- 
menced the  six  months'  siege,  during  which  the  defeat  of 
a  part  of  the  garrison  at  Bloody  Run  happened,  and  our 
beautiful  pleasure  ground,  Belle  Isle,  was  converted  into 
a  slaughter  yard  by  the  massacre  of  a  detachment  who  were 
captured  while  coming  as  a  reinforcement  for  the  worn-out 
garrison.  Finally,  after  the  news  of  the  treaty  of  peace 
between  France  and  England,  the  Indians  lost  heart  and 
slowly  drew  off. 

178 


A  few  years  after  this,  during  the  American  Revolution, 
Maj.  Lernoult,  vviio  was  stationed  here  with  500  men, 
erected  a  large  earth  fort  on  the  ground  which  is  now 
covered  by  four  squares  directly  in  the  rear  of  our  city 
hall.  This  fort  was  called  Lernoult  until  during  the  war 
of  1812,  when  it  was  changed  to  Shelby  in  houor  of  the 
hero  of  the  Battle  of  the  Thames.  About  this  time,  instead 
of  "The  Village  on  the  Strait,"  the  city  began  to  be  styled 
simply  Detroit. 

In  1783,  by  the  treaty  acknowledging  the  independence 
of  the  states,  Detroit  was  claimed  by  the  new  government. 
This  was  disputed  by  the  Canadian  authorities,  and  in  the 
other  difficulties  which  the  new  republic  was  undergoing 
no  resistance  was  made  to  the  British,  who  obstinately  re- 
mained in  the  fort  until  1796,  when  the  boundary  on  the 
whole  northwest  territory,  including  Detroit  on  the  Ameri- 
can side,  was  definitely  placed  by  the  Jay  treaty.  On  the 
nth  day  of  July,  1796,  the  British  troops  withdrew  from 
Detroit. 

A  few  days  later,  when  Capt.  Porter,  with  a  detachment 
of  Wayne's  army,  took  possession,  they  found  the  wells 
choked  up  v;ith  stones  and  all  the  windows  in  the  barracks 
broken  by  the  British  soldiery  in  a  feeling  of  chagrin  and 

defeat. 

4 


179 


